AV 07th March 2026

British Asians stranded amid travel chaos

Classrooms are meant to be sanctuaries of curiosity and possibility But increasingly, they

Due to the ongoing conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran, British citizens in the Middle East are experiencing significant travel challenges following airspace closures and flight cancellations. Asian Voice interviewed affected travellers and travel agents, who detailed their efforts to rebook flights and offer guidance. They also acknowledged support from the UAE and emphasised the impact of these disruptions on travel plans

Subhasini Naicker

Thousands of flights have been cancelled and major Gulf airports

t o turmoil caused by the US-Israel war on Iran, stranding hundreds of thousands of travellers

while refunds and free changes are offered to affected passengers. Airline stocks dropped sharply, oil and gas prices surged, and global markets declined Dubai s airport

this the most disruptive aviation event since the Covid pandemic

Thought for the week

“In a gentle way, you can shake the world ” – Mahatma Gandhi

Political Sketchbook

Alpesh Patel

Iran and the Pakistan Nuclear Connection

Wo rking in th e US Congress , with my Co ngressman we lobbied the US State Dep artment to declare Pakistan a Terrorist State becau se of its nuclear p roliferation Th ey wouldn’t listen T hat was 1994 I was 23 In th e end we provided th e evidence to th e Indian Embassy in Washingto n

Now America continuing its love affair with Pakistan, gets more of what it deserves – the fear of an IranianPakistan nuclear bomb America either doesn’t listen or is complicit

Pakistan, primarily through the covert proliferation network run by Abdul Qadir Khan provided critical assistance to Iran's nuclear program during the late 1980s and 1990s This included supplying P-1 and P-2 centrifuge designs, components, and blueprints for uranium enrichment, as well as potential nuclear weapon designs

• Centrifu ge Technology Transfer: Khan's network provided Iran with centrifuge designs identical to those used in Pakistan’s own program, facilitating Iran's ability to enrich uranium at sites like Natanz

• Tech nical Traini ng: Iranian scientists were reportedly trained in Pakistan regarding nuclear enrichment technologies around 1988

• Nuclear Weapons Designs: Evidence suggests that Pakistan-based networks may have provided blueprints for a nuclear warhead design, which Iran likely reworked in its 1999–2003 nuclear initiatives

• Pe rs o n al C ap ac i ty vs St at e Ac t io n: While the Pakistani government claimed Khan acted in his "personal capacity," evidence suggests involvement, with shipments facilitated through networks and payments routed through Dubai

• Discovery and Impact: The network was exposed in 2003, leading to Khan's confession in 2004, though the assistance signif icantly advanced Iran's nuclear technical capabilities

When India attacked terrorists in Pakistan in Operation Sindoor it conf irmed the controlled instability route than outright war to international conflict

The United States and Israel jointly initiated strikes despite diplomatic engagements and the prospect of agreement in Geneva, demonstrating a willingness to use force even while negotiations continued There was no imminent threat to the US, although the American Foreign Secretary made the convoluted argument that once Israel attacked, then America would have been attacked imminently so the attack was legal Those of us on the right of the political spectrum are happy with the moral position over the legal one when it comes to attacking the Islamic Republic

“Controlled instability” refers to a situation in which great powers engage in calibrated use of force, limited engagements, and selective escalation, while avoiding total war It is distinct from stable deterrence: in deterrence, violence is prevented; in controlled instability, violence is tolerated within managed bounds India responded by attacking terrorist camps in Pakistan due to the imminent threat and self defence legal doctrine in Operation Sindoor Pakistan, in attacking Afghanistan, claimed to be doing the same, but unlike India was neither proportionate nor directed at the specif ic claimed threat, which legality of action requires Trump’s favourite General was just acting in hypocrisy

This model of controlled instability is emerging because:

• States face domestic constraints that limit prolonged, large-scale war, making limited engagements more attractive

• Multipolarity and competing interests reduce shared commitment to cooperative order

• Proxy networks and regional actors mean that local actors can escalate without directly triggering greatpower commitments

In the U S –Iran case, this logic is evident Neither side appears willing or able to escalate into all-out conflict, yet both engage in provocative actions - strikes, assassinations, and retaliations - while signalling that a broader confrontation is undesirable President Trump’s statements that the campaign could last weeks but is “prepared to go far longer” reflect this ambiguity: force without clear end conditions

Can Trump engineer a regime change in Iran?

The United States and Israel have long sought a change of power in Iran, and their recent military confrontation raises a central question: can regime change be achieved through military force alone? Despite Iran’s clear military inferiority compared with the US and Israel, it remains doubtful that military pressure will translate into political transformation Military dominance does not automatically produce domestic political change

Iran differs fundamentally from cases such as Iraq or Libya Its political system is highly entrenched, and hostility toward the US and Israel is deeply embedded within society Although many Iranians oppose clerical rule, ideological divisions within the population have prevented the emergence of a unif ied resistance Repeated protests and uprisings have been suppressed, and no credible leadership has emerged that can directly challenge the regime

Following the attacks, President Donald Trump appealed to the Iranian people to assert their right to self-determination, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu encouraged a coup, describing the moment as a rare opportunity However, there is a signif icant gap between strategic ambition and political reality Air strikes and targeted assassinations may weaken the state, but they do not resolve the fundamental question of what political structure, if any, could replace the existing regime

History suggests that regime change through air power alone is highly unlikely Successful coups or collapses of governments have typically followed ground invasions, as seen in Bangladesh in 1971, Iraq in 2003, and the Korean Peninsula after World War II Without boots on the ground, military action rarely produces durable political outcomes

In this context, it is highly improbable that the US or Israel would commit ground forces to Iran, particularly given the lessons of Afghanistan, Vietnam, and Iraq Iran’s ability to retaliate against US, Israeli, and regional targets further reduces the likelihood that this conflict will result in a change of power The current situation risks becoming a prolonged and destabilising confrontation without a clear political endgame

Russia and China’s strategic silence

The muted response of Russia and China widely regarded as Iran’s strategic partners has added to global uncertainty Despite benef iting from Iranian oil and military cooperation, both countries have largely refrained from meaningful intervention or diplomatic pressure Their restraint suggests

a pragmatic recalibration of priorities rather than steadfast alliance, highlighting the limits of strategic partnerships in moments of crisis

Implications for India

Iran’s isolation underscores the need for India to pursue a more cautious and flexible foreign policy Russia and China’s reluctance to challenge the US on Iran raises questions about their reliability as partners At the same time, India cannot rely on China, and relations with the US remain uncertain The Iran crisis reinforces a long-standing lesson of international politics: strategic autonomy and self-reliance remain essential in an increasingly unstable global order

A major concern is the Strait of Hormuz, which serves as an essential route for energy transportation India depends on imports for about 88% of its crude oil, with over half coming from the Middle East and passing through this narrow strait Any disruption caused by the Iran crisis could threaten India’s energy security and have a direct impact on its economy Such a blockade would also harm Iran, since it uses the same passage to export its oil, making escalation costly for all parties involved However, global oil supplies are not restricted to one region other sources like Venezuela, certain African countries, and additional producers provide alternatives in the wider energy market

The dynamics have moved beyond a straightforward Israel-US versus Iran conflict Recent shifts show that Gulf nations such as the UAE and Qatar are adopting positions that further isolate Iran within the region Although Russia and China may offer diplomatic support, the overall economic and military strength still lies with the United States and its allies

For Israel, the confrontation is a matter of national survival, prompting a direct response Similarly, facing both domestic and international pressures, the United States may feel compelled to take a f irm and decisive stand

These developments raise broader questions What is the role of the United Nations at this juncture? Has the UN been successful in preventing further escalation? Additionally, what contribution is BRICS making, especially with two key members Russia and China sympathetic to Iran?

India’s approach must remain practical In recent days, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has held discussions with several world leaders, including those from Gulf states These diplomatic efforts underscore India’s intent to stay engaged, protect its energy interests, and ensure strategic equilibrium

Community needs outweigh monetary concerns

Bharat Hindu Samaj Mandir in Peterborough has secured a temporary reprieve in its dispute over the future of its temple A High Court injunction has prevented the City Council from proceeding with the sale of the New England Complex pending a judicial review, maintaining the status quo and offering short-term reassurance to worshippers

The issue arises from the Council’s decision to sell the complex to a mosque and Islamic centre, despite the presence of multiple mosques and churches within a 40 mile radius and only one Hindu temple in the area for 18,500 Hindus While sale to the highest bidder is lawful, concerns have been raised about the Council’s evaluation process, which weighted f inancial considerations at 70 per cent, with only 30 per cent allocated to social value and community benef it This is where the fundamental problem lies

The Equality Impact Assessment acknowledged that one tenant operates a faith-based facility with local alternatives and that relocation could disproportionately affect some individuals with protected characteristics more than others

However, equality considerations were excluded from the scoring process, with the Council indicating that any associated risks would be managed through post-sale tenant protections Remaining risks to equality and community relations were assessed as “low to medium”

Supporters of the temple strongly disagree with this assessment, making these concerns a key part of the ongoing legal challenge What is crucial is that exclusivity and community need to outweigh monetary concerns

Therefore knowing your rights is crucial With about one million Hindus in the UK, there is enough support to protect their places of worship Now is the moment to rally behind the Peterborough temple to prevent its loss to commercial interests If roughly 35 to 40 churches and almost 8 mosques can continue operating in the area, this one Hindu temple deserves the same right to exist Raise your voice and sign the petition (see p6) or write to the Council Cabinet and Communities Secretary to help preserve what should be left in the custody of Hindus

When women rise, we all rise

Women have long been the quiet architecture of society pillars of resilience, care and continuity As mothers, daughters, sisters, partners, friends and leaders, they have been expected to give endlessly, instinctively and without question

The numbers expose what tradition has normalised Globally, women perform 3 2 times more unpaid care work than men every single day In many countries, they complete the equivalent of a full workday, or more, in unpaid labour before they even begin paid employment And when they do enter the workforce, they carry the “second shift” home with them: cooking, cleaning, caregiving, managing the invisible logistics of family life

According to the International Labour Organization, if care responsibilities were shared more equally, women ’ s participation in the formal economy would rise signif icantly unlocking growth and narrowing gender gaps

Beyond physical labour lies emotional labour: the listening, nurturing, mediating and steadying of households, workplaces and communities Essential, yet rarely acknowledged as work Psychologists now link this constant emotional output to stress, burnout and the crushing mental load many women shoulder silently

Even in leadership, the pattern repeats Women are asked to lead, but not always empowered to decide Globally, only about 25% of parliamentary seats are held by women, and

fewer than 30% of senior management roles are occupied by them They are expected to give leadership often without equal authority

And yet, something is shifting

Women have learned to claim space, to raise their voices, to uplift one another Women’s friendships, peer networks and mentorship circles are no longer optional, they are essential In the UK alone, major mentoring communities report that over 90% of mentored girls gain conf idence, while grassroots networks now connect more than 100,000 women nationwide Still, more than half of women in the UK workforce report never having had a formal mentor, indicating that the work is not done

It is, in a small attempt to bridge this gap, that Asian Voice, in association with the Royal Air Force, is hosting Women in Conversation on 13 March (see p16-17) Bringing together women who have navigated leadership, broken barriers and expanded opportunity, the panel will explore this year ’ s International Women’s Day theme: “Give to Gain "

As B R Ambedkar reminded us, “I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved ” Women in Conversation is Asian Voice’s attempt at helping the community and its women thrive because giving is not depletion, it is multiplication

When women rise, we all rise

Anusha Singh

A s Ra ma da n a ppr oach es, many Muslim professionals in Br ita in pr epa re for a month of fasting, reflection, and community, while cont inu in g to m ee t th e d em an ds of t he ir wor kplaces But for many, the experience raises a pressing q ue stion : a re Br ita in’s organisations truly adapting t o t he n ee ds o f fa stin g employees, or is faith inclusion stil l t re at ed as a n afterthought?

From early starts and long days to prayer breaks and Iftar arrangements, Ramadan introduces unique logistical and cultural considerations While diversity and inclusion policies exist, practical support for Muslim employees during this period is often inconsistent, leaving many to navigate fasting alongside professional expectations

To explore how British workplaces are responding, and what meaningful inclusion during Ramadan looks like, Asian Voice spoke with Zara Mohammed With a background in Human Rights Law and national leadership, she advises organisations, delivers leadership training, and speaks publicly to help workplaces engage confidently with diverse faith communities, turning inclusion from policy into practice

Here’s what she has to say What challenges do Muslim professionals face in high-pressure environments like healthcare, finance, or media during Ramadan?

For most Muslims, regardless of profession, fasting brings physiological changes Your energy shifts and the first few days, in particular, can be challenging You might feel lightheaded in the mornings, slightly disengaged, or experience brain fog At the same time, there are moments when your senses feel sharper and your focus surprisingly heightened

If your workplace is understanding and flexible, fasting can be a positive

experience, even with the tiredness However, if there is little accommodation, no flexibility with timings, limited understanding around prayer, or a lack of awareness about why you are fasting, it can add stress You may feel misunderstood or isolated

Ultimately, much depends on workplace culture, and on your own confidence in speaking about your needs Fasting is deeply personal, but it is also com-

how to support colleagues can foster understanding

Encouraging a Muslim colleague to write a blog or share their experience can help humanise what Ramadan really means beyond simply “not eating ” One effective initiative is introducing a “Ramadan buddy” system, pairing a non-Muslim colleague with a Muslim colleague, and even encouraging them to try fasting for a day There is no better way to build

munal When you are the only one observing it at work, it can sometimes feel lonely Support and understanding make all the difference

Whatdoes good Ramadan inclusion actually look like beyond flexible hours? What practical adjustments make the biggest difference?

Practical adjustments can make a significant difference Some Muslims choose to take annual leave during Ramadan, particularly in the final ten days, so allowing for that in planning is helpful Where possible, avoiding major conferences or high-energy events during Ramadan

Social gatherings centred around lunches, parties or after-work drinks can unintentionally make fasting colleagues feel excluded It’s not about asking for special favours, but about being mindful during annual planning and recognising that inclusion sometimes requires small adjustments

Education also plays a key role Hosting a short workshop on Ramadan and

empathy than experiencing it firsthand

Hosting an Iftar at work, or attending one at a local mosque or community centre, is another powerful way to build connection

Breaking the fast together in the evening creates a shared moment of reflection and celebration

How does the Ramadan experience differ for Muslim women, particularly those balancing professional responsibilities and increased domestic expectations

In recent years, Ramadan has become increasingly challenging for working mothers, particularly due to early school timings With earlier fasts, tighter schedules, and complex logistics, many women juggle work, childcare, household responsibilities, and preparing Iftar; all while fasting

This added pressure affects both working mums and those at home fulltime, with greater demands on time and coordination Yet mothers consistently rise to the occasion, demonstrating remarkable organisation, resilience, and efficiency However, while recognising their “ superpowers ” is important, it shouldn’t mask the very real challenges they face Ramadan also highlights the importance of shared responsibility The month is not only about fasting but about collective effort By dividing tasks and supporting one another, households can ease the burden, allowing mothers to participate fully and experience the spiritual and communal essence of the month

There’s an unspoken narrative that fasting equals reduced productivity. How damaging is that assumption? Do you hear concerns about feeling the need to prove oneself more during Ramadan?

Everyone experiences fasting differently Our diets, routines and temperaments vary Some people become irritable when hungry, others remain steady

Most people who are fasting want to maintain their usual level of performance, but physiologically there will be fluctuations

There is no guarantee that productivity will decline, but there will likely be shifts in energy and concentration Unfortunately, stigma can compound that challenge The fear of being seen as weaker or less committed is very real

Thankfully, attitudes are changing as awareness grows When reasonable accommodations are made, most people manage very well One can plan work around focused and effective periods of the day That adjustment makes a difference

Every sector has its own demands but for those fasting, reassurance and team support are invaluable Knowing that colleagues understand there may be temporary shifts in energy, and are willing to work collaboratively, eases unnecessary pressure The key is balance: caring for your body, pacing yourself and remembering that fasting is not meant to harm or burden you

British Asian Trust hosts annual Iftar

The British Asian Trust welcomed an array of distinguished guests to its annual If ta r at the Lon don Grosvenor Marriott Hotel, bringing together the South Asian diaspora in a night of reflection, community, and philanthropy

Among those attending were the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, Nusrat Ghani, alongside senior figures from the diaspora including H E Dr Mohammad Faisal, High Commissioner of Pakistan to the UK, Lord Jitesh Gadhia, Asif Rangoonwala CBE, Her Honour Judge Khatun Sapnara, and Trust Ambassadors Ikram Butt, Reshmin Chowdhury, and Raishma Islam

Hosted by BBC journalist Haroon Rashid, the event drew 350 guests, spanning celebrities, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, business leaders, and professionals The evening focused on raising awareness of mental health, highlighting the stigma that still surrounds it in South Asian communities, while raising funds for the Trust’s mental health programs in Pakistan and

Bangladesh Generous donations exceeded £300,000 Lord Jitesh Gadhia welcomed attendees and shared a message from The King, the Royal Founding Patron of the Trust Mayor Khan reflected on the significance of the evening He said, “By raising funding and awareness for mental health programmes, the Iftar is a wonderful example of how Muslims join together and give generously to help others throughout Ramadan ” Deputy Speaker Nusrat Ghani added, “It is a wonderful evening of people from diverse backgrounds coming together in support of a common goal, really highlighting the strength of the British Asian Trust ” British Asian Trust CEO Hitan Mehta expressed gratitude to supporters, “I’m truly proud of our commitment to improving the lives of those affected by mental health issues By breaking stigma, raising awareness, and championing accessible services, we aim to create lasting change Tonight’s Iftar was a testament to the power of community and generosity ”

Ramadan traditions debut on London runway

B ri ti s h-Ye men i de si gn er Kazna Asker made history by incorporating a live iftar into her "Hour of the Sunset" pres en tat ion dur in g L on don Fashion Week At the British Fas hi on Counc i l’s N ewG en s pac e, the 2 9 - yea r- old She ff ie ld -b orn de si gn er pa us e d he r runwa y show exactly at sunset to break the fast with models, staff, and guests

By transforming the venue into a traditional Yemeni majlis with floor cushions and Persian carpets, Asker successfully integrated Islamic observance into the industry's rigorous schedule This landmark event provided a platform for modest fashion

while celebrating the Yemeni diaspora’s cultural heritage through a collection designed specifically around the spiritual rhythm of the holy month

The showcase featured garments blending futuristic silhouettes with traditional Yemeni elements, such as gold coin headpieces and the jambiya dagger belt Guests broke their fast with Palestinian dates and Iraqi dishes from Juma Kitchen, accompanied by a poetry reading from Yassmin Abdel-Magied Asker, a Central Saint Martins alumna, utilised fabrics contributed by her family to represent Yemeni communities across Egypt and India

Uber& Uber eats launches Ramadan support across UK

Uber and Uber Eats launched their most extensive Ramadan support programme to assist thousands of couriers and independen t res tau rant s ac ro ss the Uni te d Kingdom With the holy month having commenced, the delivery giant is distributing 100,000 free dates and water bottles nationwi de, ensuring fasting drivers can safely break their fast whilst on the road

The initiative, led by General Managers Andrew Brem and Merve Basci, addresses research showing that 93% of British Muslims desire greater brand awareness of Ramadan By partnering with 35 independent high-street eateries and the national

chain Popeyes, the company is providing thousands of complimentary Iftar meals to support its diverse workforce during this significant spiritual period

The 2026 programme includes community Iftar dinners for over 350 drivers in major hubs, including London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, and Edinburgh These gatherings, such as the one scheduled for March 12 in London, provide a dedicated space for reflection and connection Additionally, the "Open for Suhoor" digital campaign has returned, using in-app badges to highlight the thousands of local merchants extending their operating hours for pre-dawn meals

Peterborough Hindu temple secures legal lifeline

Bharat Hindu Samaj

Mandir has won the first round of a legal fight against the local authority and interested buyers/parties (a Mosque and Islamic Centre according to the Court order seen by Asian Voice), after the High Court judge has stepped into the rapidly escalating row over the future of the cherished community landmark in Peterborough

In an urgent order issued earlier, the Administrative Court of the King’s Bench Division imposed an injunction preventing Peterborough City Council from taking any “irreversible step” toward selling the New England Complex, the building that has housed the Bharat Hindu Samaj Temple for almost 40 years

The injunction, Justice Fordham made clear, does not settle the dispute Instead, it presses pause It freezes the status quo while the court considers a full judicial review challenge brought by the temple’s governing body For thousands of worshippers who feared they were on the brink of losing their spiritual home, the decision and the win offer temporary relief

In pointed written reasons accompanying the injunction, the judge

Isuggested the urgency of the court’s involvement stemmed in part from the council’s own approach

“The defendant appears to have brought this situation on itself,” he wrote, noting that although the council had acknowledged correspondence raising concerns, it had failed to provide substantive clarity about the practical position of the sale

Ordinarily, courts are cautious about granting interim relief after hearing only one side But Justice Fordham concluded that the risk of the legal challenge being undermined by undisclosed or irreversible actions justified immediate protection Describing the

injunction as a “holding order”, he said there was a “strong prima facie case ” and that the balance of convenience favoured safeguarding the property until the dispute could be properly examined Any breach of the order could amount to contempt of court

At stake is far more than bricks and mortar and two weeks before the injunction, congregants had spoken publicly of their heartbreak after learning their second bid to buy the site had failed The council’s cabinet voted to sell the property to an undisclosed bidder as part of efforts to balance its strained budget, despite the temple offering £1 3 million

following years of community fundraising

The council’s decision to sell the complex goes back to a detailed cabinet report that was approved on 10 February This report gave permission to sell the council’s ownership of the building It was prepared after other councillors raised concerns that earlier discussions did not provide enough information

In response, cabinet members were given extra documents These included details of how bids were scored, how much importance was given to different factors, a full Equality Impact Assessment, and information about what would happen to current

tenants However, the report made it clear that the bidding process would not be reopened, and the final result would not be changed

The council used a scoring system to decide between bids Seventy per cent of the score was based on the amount of money offered and whether the buyer could complete the deal successfully Thirty per cent was based on social value and community benefit

Officials said the higher focus on money was due to financial risks, such as making sure the funds were secure, avoiding delays, and reducing the chance of the sale falling through, not because they preferred money over community value

Despite this, equality concerns have been one of the most debated parts of the decision The Equality Impact Assessment accepted that one of the tenants runs a faith-based facility with few similar alternatives nearby This means moving could affect people with protected characteristics more than others However, the report stated that equality factors were not part of the scoring process

Instead, any risks would be managed through tenant protections and

arrangements after the sale The cabinet described the remaining risks to equality and community relations as “low to medium”

Temple supporters strongly disagree with this view, and this issue now forms a key part of the legal challenge

The High Court has set a tight schedule The council must submit its evidence by 3 March, and the temple must reply by 4 March After 5 March, a judge will decide whether the temporary order stopping the sale should continue It will examine whether the council acted lawfully and fairly

For now, the building remains open for temple use while the case is being considered

In the meantime, MPs, peers, community leaders and places of worship across the UK have come forward to support the drive of Bharat Hindu Samaj to save its Mandir Bob Blackman MP had written to the leader of the Peterborough Council, raising concerns and demanding answers, but correspondence seen by Asian Voice shows that Cllr Shabina Qayyum has refused to explain anything to an MP who is non representative of the area

WHAT THE COMMUNITY AND LEADERS HAVE TO SAY:

Lord Rami Ranger FRSA

[Written to the interested buyers/parties and Peterborough Temple trustees]

t is unfortunate that the only Hindu place of worship serving the community for over 40 years has been auctioned under the leadership of Cllr Shabina Qayyum and Peterborough City Council

If we truly believe that God is One, then we must also accept that hurting the sentiments of another faith community cannot please Him

I repeatedly appealed to the Council leadership to avoid controversy over the method of sale Sadly, instead of listening to the voice of reason and reconciliation, authority was exercised in a manner that ignored the deep emotional attachment of the Hindu community to their only place of worship in the area

You will agree that we are all blessed with sight, but very few are also blessed with the vision to see the bigger picture While a legal victory may have been secured, the moral question remains unresolved The consequences of a decision perceived as callous and insensitive towards a minority community will

linger far longer than any court ruling

The Hindu Mandir is not merely a building to be disposed off to the highest bidder It is a place of worship with emotions and feelings attached of the local Hindu community going back 40 years For four decades, it has served as a spiritual sanctuary and a social anchor It is where children and elders gather, where families celebrate weddings and birthdays, and where solace is found during times of bereavement It is woven into the emotional fabric of the Hindu community of Peterborough

The Muslim community

in the area is already served by numerous places of worship Acquiring and converting the only Hindu temple would understandably be viewed as morally troubling and unnecessarily divisive For one community, it may be an attractive purchase; for another, it represents the loss of heritage, identity, and belonging I urge you to show magnanimity and step away from this highly controversial matter By doing so, you would earn immense respect, not only from the Hindu community but from all those who value interfaith harmony Such respect cannot be

purchased

The Hindu community has now secured a court injunction, and the matter will be heard in court, inevitably under public and media scrutiny However, if you were to voluntarily rescind your offer, it would send a powerful message of goodwill and mutual respect

For the record, I am not a Hindu I am a Sikh Our teachings affirm that we are all children of the same Divine Creator Allah, the Most Gracious and Most Merciful Sikhism does not permit discrimination based on religion, race, or gender, nor does it endorse conversion Our Gurdwaras serve free food to all, without distinction Our holy scripture includes and honours teachings from diverse faiths, including Islam

I sincerely hope wisdom, compassion, and foresight will prevail, and that another mosque will not be built on a site that has already caused such pain and controversy

May Allah guide us to do the right thing in this temporary life

Her Grace Visakha dasi, Temple President of Bhaktivedanta Manor

We were deeply saddened to learn that the Hindu community has lost its only temple in Cambridgeshire

A mandir is not simply a building; it is a spiritual home, a cultural centre, and a place where families come together to preserve faith and heritage for future generations

At Bhaktivedanta Manor, we stand in support of the 7,300+ Hindus in Cambridgeshire during this difficult time We sincerely hope that the community is able to work constructively with Peterborough City Council and the

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority to find a positive way forward one that recognises and addresses the spiritual and cultural needs of the Hindu population in the county

The campaign to save the Bharat Hindu Samaj Temple/Peterborough Mandir is one being driven by the community itself

If you support the effort to prevent its closure and are willing to stand with those fighting to protect it, please share your message, with full name, phone number and email address to shrijit.rajan@abplgroup.com as part of our petition to the Council against the closure Deadline 9 March 2026.

Written to CB Patel, Publisher/Editor, Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar

Iwrite with great urgency and in a spirit of respectful appeal following a moment of judicial respite in the dispute concerning the proposed sale of the New England Complex in Peterborough a site that for nearly forty years has been the spiritual home and community hub for thousands of British Hindus

On 27th February, the Administrative Court, in response to a judicial review challenge brought by the temple’s governing body, granted an urgent interim injunction preventing the Council from taking any irreversible steps toward disposing of the property

minority groups informs my belief that decisions affecting the cultural infrastructure of our communities must be measured not only by narrow financial criteria but

safeguard the site without imposing financial loss on the Council That proposal was not accepted, and the distress of devotees has been profound, with many describing the potential loss of their spiritual home as heartbreaking and deeply destabilising

The interim court order does not yet determine the final legal outcome It does, however, offer a critical opportunity for reflection and corrective action In light of this, I respectfully request that you consider exercising your discretionary powers to review the Council’s decision not as an interference with legitimate

In doing so, the judge identified serious legal questions about the way the Council’s decision was communicated and handled, and recognised the need to preserve the status quo while the lawfulness of the decision is properly tested

This judicial intervention is rightly described as a fragile but powerful lifeline for a community facing imminent loss of its cherished place of worship

Yet it also underscores the gravity of the underlying issues issues that extend far beyond the immediate legal proceedings and go to the heart of community confidence in local governance and the protection of religious and cultural heritage

I have been actively engaged in political and civic life for many years, working consistently to promote fairness, social cohesion, and community empowerment My own long-standing involvement in public service and community advocacy including initiatives to safeguard places of worship, promote inter-faith harmony, and ensure equitable treatment of

K V Patel

by the enduring social value they embody

The Bharat Hindu Samaj Temple, established in 1986, has served as a consecrated space of worship and a centre for education, cultural celebration, charitable activity and mutual support for families across Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Lincolnshire and beyond Its role has been unequivocally positive, delivering community benefit over generations and long predating the Council’s current financial challenges

The community has demonstrated responsible commitment and civic goodwill throughout prolonged negotiations, including offering to match the highest bid in order to

financial governance, but as a necessary affirmation of the principle that places of worship and community heritage are intrinsic to the fabric of British life and worthy of balanced protection

A measured intervention at this stage could:

• Reinforce trust in public institutions among diverse communities;

• Provide clarity and certainty for all parties without prolonged adversarial conflict;

• Demonstrate Government commitment to proportionality, fairness, and equality of respect for all faith communities I appreciate the pressures on local authorities to manage public finances responsibly At the same time, it is imperative that policy choices reflect not only economic prudence, but also the rich tapestry of community life that sustains social cohesion in modern Britain

I would welcome the opportunity to discuss this matter further and to offer any support that may assist in a constructive resolution

After fighting so long, it is very frightening for Hindus The UK Government is not looking after Hindus and is not listening

We have to ask all Hindu organisations, businesses and other communities to support this matter

We need to unite on this matter; a lot of people do not know what's going on and why it has come to this stage

All Hindu organisations should write to the council and the MP

Babu Govind Garala MBE, on behalf of extended Garala Parivar

Onceagain, the time has come to fight for the preservation of our Sanatan Dharma and Sanskruti and to preserve our place of worship under your (CB’s) experienced guidance

We will have to fight hard like memorable

Shri Babulal Garala is a professional and well-known leader of our community in Coventry and Midlands area

In the last 4 days, I have received over 30 messages from different

fight to save Hare Krishna MandirBhaktivedanta Manor only difference then and now is our age With the help of our Hindu community at large and your guidance we will fight to protect Ram Mandir of Peterborough With

R E P L Y

places of UK of recollection and appreciation of the manifold services of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar over the years One may be old, but that is not the end of our potential or

Lord’s blessing we will overcome all obstacles to save Ram Mandi of Peterborough patronised by Hindu community of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and surrounding area

We fully support this just fight

responsibility We all are born to serve

Sharing good thoughts, exemplary messages and inspirations is our passion, privilege and opportunity

Thanks for your support.

H O L I C E L E B R A T I O N S L I G H T U P N E A S D E N T E M P L E

The vibrant festival of Holi was celebrated with devotion and joy at BAPS

Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, widely known as Neasden Temple

One of the most colourful festivals in the Hindu calendar, Holi heralds the arrival of spring and celebrates renewal, vitality, and the triumph of good over evil The festivities at the Mandir reflected both the spiritual depth and communal warmth that define the occasion

Central to the celebrations was the traditional Holika Dahan ceremony, held on the grounds opposite the

Mandir in the evening The ritual commemorates the story of Prahlad, who was protected by Bhagwan Vishnu from a blazing fire set by his father, King Hiranyakashipu The lighting of the bonfire symbolises the burning away of negative tendencies

BRENT CELEBRATES HOLI

I N DU C ounc il (Br ent ), i n as s oci a ti on wi th Ken ton , Kingsbury and Wembley Asian Traders, marked the festival of Holi with a vibrant community celebration at Roe Green Park, Kingsbury Road, London

The evening brought together families and local residents in a spirit of unity and festivity The event was a sucess owing to the hard work of sponsors, dedicated volunteers, devotees, councillors and service providers

and the protective grace of the divine Devotees offered prayers and made ritual offerings into the flames, walking reverently around the fire in reflection and faith

Holi also marks the ancient Vedic custom of offering the first harvest of

spring to Agni, the fire deity In keeping with tradition, hundreds of devotees offered newly harvested grains and coconuts into the sacred fire before partaking in the blessed harvest

The spiritual observances were accompanied by a lively, festive atmosphere Families and friends gathered to celebrate together, while food stalls served an array of hot snacks, adding warmth and cheer to the evening’s celebrations

The event once again brought the community together in a shared expression of faith, renewal, and collective joy

GHS Preston celebrates Holi with colour and community spirit

G HS Pres ton ma rk ed t he vibrant festival of Holi with its much-anticipated annual celebration, held in the socie ty’s c ar par k The e ve nt drew an average attendance of around 500 adults, childr en, a nd f ami l ie s, t ran sforming the space into a lively hub of devotion and festivity

The evening began with a traditional puja performed by Vice President Ishwerbhai, Secretary Ashitbhai, and committee members Following the prayers, the Holi bonfire was ceremonially lit, allowing devotees to take darshan and offer their respects Coconuts were distributed among attendees to place into the sacred fire, in keeping with longstanding customs

As the rituals concluded, the celebrations burst into

colour Young people and families joyfully applied gulal to one another, exchanging greetings and laughter in the true spirit of Holi Friends reconnected, children played, and the community came together in warmth and unity

Eco-friendly Holi 2026 brings community together in Reading

Team Gujarat Samaj Reading (GSR ) 2 02 6 ma rk ed H oli with a thoughtful and ecofr ie ndl y ‘ Hol i Til ak an d Milan’ celebration, bringing the community together in Reading

Centred on the theme of honouring Mother Nature, the event reflected a con-

scious effort to celebrate tradition while promoting environmental responsibility in today’s challenging times

The programme was meticulously organised within just

ten days by five dedicated committee members: Chairman Deval Gujrati, Event Manager and Secretary Reshmaben Patel, Treasurer and Senior Member Ramaben Patel, IT Support Hemant Gujrati, and Communications Manager Ramnik Sodha

From securing the venue and coordinating catering to designing flyers, managing registrations and engaging social workers, every detail was handled with commitment despite professional

and personal responsibilities

Young volunteers Darshini, Anika and Suhani efficiently managed registrations, while Sejalben’s floral

Maintain equanimity in success and failure

Rohit Vadhwana

The principle of impermanence teaches us many wisdoms, and one of them is developing our mind to maintain equanimity in all conditions of life, both success and failure In life, we might have to go through many failures yet we may also get chances to celebrate successes Somehow, every human being likes success, but failure feels like thorns However, is it possible to live a life without failure at all? Everyone, at different stage in own life, faces both failures and successes How you receive them defines your character

While life keeps moving, we need to maintain a balance in this motion Allowing life to get toppled with emotional turmoil is not advisable It would ruin us not only in failures but also in successes Consider a person distributing alms of a sizeable amount when getting rich, but trying to steal if poverty strikes This is not how we adapt to the situation There are certain rules we need to follow to live in society If a student excels in an exam, parents may pamper her, but if she fails, they cannot disown her She is the child of the family and will remain so, despite her success or failure A delicate balance is necessary here in both the situations of success and failure

To develop a mindset of equanimity in both situations, we must understand them as waves in the sea There are crests and troughs But none of them is better water than the other Both are made of the same water running in different cycles The way we see day and night, as the earth rotates on its axis, but in effect, neither the sun nor the earth changes due to this cycle; everything remains the same We should understand different phases of life in this context Success and failures are like crests and troughs in the same water of our life Taking both of them with equanimity and maintaining emotional balance in every situation is true wisdom

Shri Krishna in Bhagavat Gita Chapter 2, Shloka 48 describes the principle of equanimity to Arjuna as follows:

Translation: Be steadfast in the performance of your duty, O Arjun, abandoning attachment to success and failure Such equanimity is called Yog

This shloka is preceded by the one in which Shri Krishna tells Arjuna that he has no right over results, but only over his efforts – Karma In this Shloka, Arjuna is advised to perform his duties in all situations dedicatedly, without being affected by the outcome, with full equanimity It is called the Yog –union with the supreme The ultimate balance and control over emotions in life

People with a strong mindset do not get affected by turmoil in life, but remain steadfast on their path of performance They maintain faith in their efforts, faith in the supreme power Whether one is following any religion or not, believes in any God or not, being consistent in efforts, without being perturbed by outcomes, is the best way to live a life of equanimity

decorations and Sangitaben’s vibrant dupattas added colour to the venue The celebration opened with a Tilak ceremony and an inspiring discourse by Suryaprabha Didi from Brahmrishi Mission UK, emphasising unity and resilience Holika Dahan, Narsimha Aarti and

parikrama followed With delicious catering, devotional bhajans and classic Holi songs, the event fostered joy, togetherness and a renewed commitment to celebrating festivals in harmony with nature

Mahatma Gandhi led many movements during the freedom struggle of India Some of them did not yield expected results But he remained fully committed to the principles of truth and nonviolence It gave him strength, kept his vision clear Gave the freedom movement a clear direction This was possible because of him remaining balanced in both success and failure His calmness in both victory and defeat was exemplary

Steadfastness in duty, performing karma without flinching in difficult circumstances, is required for a balanced approach in life Remaining composed in the time of difficulties, maintaining one's own calm, and continuing on the path of one ’ s duty, is equanimity Such equanimity saves us from crumbling under the weight of uncertainties A person with such wisdom doesn’t collapse on facing failure, nor does he become inflated on the occurance of success Such an individual maintains perfect equanimity, both in favourable and unfavourable circumstances, without moving from the path of Karma Elixir:

Circumstances are cyclical We pass through phases of success and failure in life Equanimity guides us to maintain full commitment to our duty, our karma, in all circumstances without flinching

(Expressed opinions are personal)

Lord Dholakia calls for stronger action on Transnational Repression

L o rd N av nit Dh o laki a h as called for clearer d efinitions, s tr o ng e r en fo r ce m en t an d g reater internatio nal coordination to tackle th e growing t h rea t o f tra ns na ti o nal

r ep re s si o n ( T NR) in th e U nited Kingdom

Speaking during a House of Lords debate on the Joint Committee on Human Rights’ final report, Transnational Repression in the UK, Lord Dholakia reflected on how unfamiliar the term would have seemed only a few years ago As a member of the committee during its inquiry, he described TNR as a relatively new and poorly understood phenomenon

The committee defined transnational repression as state-directed crimes or actions carried out beyond a country’s borders against individuals However, Lord Dholakia noted with concern that the Government has yet to formally accept this definition He pressed ministers on when agreement might be reached, stressing the need for the

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and other agencies to help educate international partners about the risks and realities of TNR

Highlighting the global dimension of the issue, Lord Dholakia pointed to countries believed to engage in such practices Referring to the Iranian regime, he warned that “hundreds of people have been killed simply to protect regime survival,” with efforts aimed at fragmenting opposition movements and suppressing dissent He cited findings from the Intelligence and Security Committee, which

concluded that Iran poses a wide-ranging and persistent threat to UK national security The committee’s report described the threat as “ persistent and, crucially, unpredictable,” noting a sharp rise since 2022 in physical attacks, kidnappings and assassination attempts on British soil UK security services and police, he added, have disrupted at least 15 murder or kidnap plots targeting British nationals

In concluding remarks, Lord Dholakia urged the Government to proscribe the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) as a terrorist organisation and to expel diplomats linked to its activities He also called for strengthened investigative and prosecutorial capacity, including specialist policing and legal resources, to protect those at risk and ensure perpetrators are brought to justice

“This is the best outcome of this report,” he stressed, underscoring the urgency of coordinated and decisive action

Navnat hosts world’s first Jain stavan jamming event in Hayes

T h e N a v n a t V a n i k

A ssociation has made hist ory by host ing wha t is believe d to be the wor ld’ s first dedicat ed Ja in stav an ja mming e ven t, d rawin g a full house to the N avn at Ce nt re in Ha ye s on 28 Februa ry 2026

The inaugural “Navnat Jammin’” session featured musician Priyesh and his ensemble, who reimagined traditional Jain stavans with a vibrant, contemporary twist Blending devotional lyrics with guitar, flute, drums and tabla, the group created an uplifting atmosphere that saw attendees singing, clapping and even dancing along The fusion format offered a fresh take on spiritual music while preserving its devotional essence

The event was attended by the Worshipful Mayor of Harrow, Anjana ben Patel, as chief guest It was co-organised with the Jain Student Forum UK (JSF), whose

President, Hirak Doshi, noted that the format resonates strongly with younger generations seeking to reconnect with their cultural and spiritual roots

While bhajan-style jam sessions have grown in popularity in recent years, organisers believe this is the first event in the UK, and possibly worldwide, focused exclusively on stavan jamming

Navnat President Jaswant Bhai Doshi

expressed delight at the overwhelming response, confirming plans to make the event a monthly fixture

Tickets sold out within ten days, and the evening concluded with pizza and pasta salad, enjoyed by a notably youthful crowd

The next Navnat Jammin’ is scheduled for 28 March 2026, with organisers exploring options to expand capacity to meet rising demand

Upcoming events

Guruvarya Sah ebdada

birth day celebration

Devotees from across the community will gather this Sunday, 08 March 2026, to celebrate the birthday of Guruvarya Sahebdada with devotion and joy

The programme will begin at 11 00am and will include prayers and blessings, followed by Mahaprasad for all attendees

The celebration will take place at Anoopam Mission UK, The Lea, Western Avenue, Denham The gathering is expected to unite followers and well-

wishers in a spirit of faith, gratitude and spiritual togetherness

Free yo ga and classical d

The The Nehru Centre (TNC), Cultural Wing of the High Commission of India,

Sisters360 celebrates British Muslim girls on stage

Playwright A sif Khan’s highen er g y p r o d u c ti o n, S i s ter s3 60 , la u nc h ed i ts hig hly anticipated UK tour at London’s Polka Theatre A im ed at children ag ed eig ht to tw elve, the play celebrates the d ream s of Fatima and Salim a, two hijab-wearing , s ka teb o ard in g s tep - s i st ers from Bradford determi ned to w in the " Tiny is Mig hty" com petition

The narrative takes a poignant turn when the girls overhear their parents discussing a potential separation, prompting them to concoct a super plan to stay

together Inspired by the real-life "hijabi sisters" from Hull, the 60-minute performance explores themes of resilience and representation, specifically challenging stereotypes surrounding

Muslim girls in extreme sports Produced by AIK Productions and Turtle Key Arts, the 2026 tour includes stops in Birmingham, Huddersfield, and Bolton throughout April A fully subsidised schools tour will also reach state schools in London, Surrey, and Essex from February 23 to March 13, funded by the Garek Trust Khan, a Bradfordborn award-winning writer, created the piece to ensure young British Muslims see themselves as cool and central characters in theatre

Sanjeev Kohli unveils artwork in tribute to his father

A ctor, writer and com ed ian Sanjeev Ko hli has unv eiled St Pard uman of Glasg ow, a new print produced through the C all & Response initiative at Glasg ow Print Studio

The digital artwork, embellished with screenprinted gold, pays tribute to his late father, Parduman Singh Kohli, exploring themes of belonging and identity in the city his family made home

Reimagining his father through the iconography of sainthood, Kohli connects personal memory with Glasgow’s spiritual and civic symbolism Created with

master printer Murray Robertson, the piece blends traditional religious imagery with the cityscape Motifs inspired by 17th-century Mughal miniature painting sit alongside Paisley patterns, merging South Asian and Scottish artistic traditions

has announced the commencement of its ninth batch of short-term weekend courses in Yoga, Kathak and Bharatanatyam for beginners

The eight-week courses will run from 07 March to 03 May 2026 and are offered free of cost Classes will be held on weekends only Each course has a maximum capacity of 50 students, with places allocated on a firstcome, first-served basis due to limited seating

Please note that the Centre will remain closed over the Easter weekend on 4 and 5 April 2026

The composition features the bird, bell, fish and tree from Glasgow’s coat of arms, set against a sandstone tenement gable The phrase “I Belong to Glasgow” appears in English and Punjabi, including Gurmukhi script, reflecting migration and cultural continuity

The

India's AI sector

India's IT sector employs roughly 1% of the population (around 1 5 crore) yet contributes about 7% to GDP, underscoring its outsized economic role Amid AI disruptions, protecting and evolving this engine remains vital for sustained growth and employment

1 Apropos India's remarkable embrace of generative AI, with 10 crore users on ChatGPT weekly Yet, technooptimism must confront job displacement risks in a youth-heavy nation Balanced policy is essential to ensure AI augments rather than erodes livelihoods

2 Young Indians' enthusiastic adoption of AI surpasses global averages, as noted This energy drives innovation, but the reckoning lies in equitable access and skillbuilding Without addressing infrastructure gaps, optimism may falter against global skepticism on long-term societal gains

3 We need to question if India's AI zeal will endure? Contrasting global caution, our optimism stems from demographic advantage However, unchecked adoption risks widening inequalities Government must prioritise ethical frameworks and inclusive growth to make technooptimism sustainable

4 India's AI reckoning demands realism amid hype While youth drive adoption for learning and coding, potential job losses loom large The article wisely probes long-run viability We need proactive reskilling and regulation to harness AI without social disruption

5 Techno-optimism fuels India's AI surge, yet the story rightly flags challenges like employment shifts and ethical concerns With massive user engagement, we stand at a crossroads Visionary policies blending innovation with safeguards can turn this reckoning into opportunity

TS Karthik

Manchester’s electoral shock:

A revolt against Britain’s exhausted two-party order

The result in Gorton and Denton was not a routine byelection upset but a pointed act of revolt The Green Party of England and Wales captured the seat, the first time it has ever won a Westminster constituency at a by-election This was no token protest staged by a narrow activist base, it was a broad and deliberate verdict delivered by engaged voters who wished to be heard

For the Labour Party, being pushed into third place in what had long been considered safe territory amounts to a political humiliation Such a collapse cannot be dismissed as local turbulence It signals a deeper erosion of trust among urban voters who once formed Labour’s dependable core The complacent assumption that discontented progressives have nowhere else to go has been exposed When voters feel unheard or taken for granted, they do not abstain They realign

The malaise extends beyond Labour The Conservative Party, though not seriously defending the seat, continues to drift into irrelevance across metropolitan Britain Years of economic strain, internal division and revolving leadership have drained its authority In constituencies such as this, the Conservatives barely register as a credible alternative Their failure to reconnect with urban Britain leaves them stranded on the margins of the cities that increasingly shape national discourse

What Manchester reveals is not simply the rise of the Greens but the steady decay of Britain’s two-party reflex Voters are no longer content to oscillate between familiar options they perceive as stale or unresponsive Fragmentation is replacing tribal loyalty and impatience is overtaking habit If Labour cannot rely on its heartlands and the Conservatives cannot compete in major cities, the foundations of the old political order are weakening This by-election may prove less an anomaly than an early warning of a more unsettled and plural political era

Dr Nar sinhbhai Maganlal Pat el

LIVE-IN HELPER/CARER REQUIRED

BERMONDSEY, LONDON

We are looking for a caring and responsible Gujarati lady to provide support for an elderly, independent retired accountant living near Bermondsey Station by the riverfront.

Role Responsibilities:

• Cooking and preparing meals

• Providing companionship and general support

• Assisting with daily routines as needed

Position Details:

• Live-in: full boarding and lodging provided

• Salary: £25,000 per annum

• Friendly and supportive environment

Please call 07932 718945 for more details.

Fostering science temper on National Science Day

As we observe National Science Day on 28 February, commemorating the discovery of the Raman Effect by C V Raman, it is a fitting occasion to reflect on the vital role science plays in shaping our lives and driving national progress Beyond celebrating a landmark scientific achievement, this day invites us to nurture a spirit of inquiry and rational thinking among citizens

In an era defined by rapid technological advancements and the pervasive reach of digital platforms, science has transformed communication, healthcare, agriculture, and infrastructure Yet, these advancements have also brought the challenge of misinformation and pseudoscience, which often spread more quickly than verified facts In such circumstances, cultivating a scientific temper the ability to question, analyse evidence, and think logically becomes more important than ever

Scientific temper is not confined to laboratories or academic institutions; it is a way of thinking that should guide everyday life It empowers individuals to make informed decisions on issues ranging from health and the environment to social concerns By promoting critical thinking, it helps counter blind beliefs and encourages reasoning based on evidence

Through your esteemed weekly, I appeal to educational institutions, policymakers, and community leaders to move beyond rote learning and embrace inquiry-based education Classrooms should inspire curiosity, experimentation, and discussion, rather than rely solely on memorisation Initiatives such as science exhibitions, public lectures, and hands-on activities can make science more accessible and engaging, especially for young learners

Parents and society also play a crucial role in fostering curiosity among children Encouraging them to ask questions, explore the natural world, and understand the “why” behind everyday phenomena lays the foundation for lifelong learning A scientifically aware society is better equipped to address global challenges such as climate change, public health crises, and sustainable development

National Science Day, first observed in 1987, is celebrated across schools, colleges, universities, research institutes, and medical institutions throughout the country This year ’ s theme, “Women in Science: Catalysing Viksit Bharat,” highlights the importance of inclusive participation in science and technology, as well as their role in addressing global challenges and building a sustainable future

On this National Science Day, let us renew our commitment to embracing science not merely as a subject, but as a way of thinking and living By fostering a scientific temper, we can build a more informed, rational, and progressive society one that is prepared to meet the challenges of tomorrow with knowledge and confidence

J ubel D'Cruz

Iran and the Pakistan Nuclear Connection

Continued from page 02

Evidence of Managed Escalation in 2026

Recent developments illustrate controlled instability rather than outright breakdown:

• The targeted attacks were followed by measured retaliation, rather than uncontrollable escalation of theatre-wide conflict

• Diplomatic channels in Geneva and Muscat have remained open even as violence unfolds, suggesting parallel tracks of conflict and negotiation

• International actors such as China, Europe and the United Nations have called for restraint, indicating that global opinion still acts as a brake

These dynamics are not characteristic of total war but of a calibrated interplay between coercion, signalling and caution

Though it avoids outright war, controlled instability is not benign:

• It lowers the threshold for violence, making limited strikes and assassinations part of routine diplomacy

• It normalises retaliation cycles, encouraging tit-for-tat escalations

• It undermines institutional conflict resolution, as force replaces negotiation

• It spreads instability to third parties, as seen in attacks in Kuwait, Bahrain and threats to key shipping lanes

In this sense, controlled instability may be more dangerous than stable deterrence, because it clouds incentives and normalises confrontation

India for one has made clear through its actions to Pakistan – expect controlled instability if you continue with your terrorist bases

India: A Republic?

Explore this thought-provoking article by Professor Lord Bhikhu Parekh, as he reflects on the deeper meaning of the republic, the vision of leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and B R Ambedkar and why equality, public spirit and constitutional balance remain central to India’s identity

Read full story on pag e 26

Couple ordered to pay £24k for Hayes takeaway breaches

Mohammad Siddiqui, 65, and Ayesha Siddiqui, 52, were ordered to pay more than £24,000 at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court February 17, following chronic hygiene failures at their Hayes takeaway The couple, directors of Ladla Babu Ltd, operated Holy Zam Zam 4 on Harlington High Street until an investigation by Hillingdon Council exposed filthy conditions and dangerous allergen mismanagement Despite receiving three formal improvement notices in January 2025, the directors failed to rectify the hazards by the April deadline, leading to eight criminal convictions under the Food Safety and Hygiene Regulations

Council inspectors discovered kitchens encrusted in grime, unlabelled freezer contents from unverified sources, and a walk-in fridge with a faulty internal handle that posed an entrapment risk Crucially, staff were unable to provide accurate allergen information, potentially endangering lives

The court imposed individual fines and costs exceeding £5,300 each, while their company was fined £8,000 plus a £2,000 surcharge Although the defence cited genuine remorse, the presiding magistrate emphasised that such regulations exist to prevent public harm

The business has since closed permanently, serving as a stark warning from Cllr Wayne Bridges that neglecting food safety standards will face zero tolerance within the borough

Royal Mail chief faces parliamentary scrutiny

Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky has been summ oned by MPs to answer co ncerns ov er the performance of Royal M ail, fo llowing mo unting criticism of m issed d elivery targets

The Business and Trade Select Committee has called Kretinsky, chairman of International Distribution Services, and Royal Mail chief executive Alistair Cochrane to give evidence The scrutiny follows a £21 million fine imposed by Ofcom for failing to meet first- and second-class delivery standards, the third consecutive annual penalty Ministers have warned the company it is “ on notice ” Kretinsky, whose EP Group completed a £3 6 billion takeover last year, is expected to attend his first parliamentary hearing Royal Mail says the session will highlight its transformation plans and efforts to secure long-term financial sustainability

L A S S R O O M S U N D E R S T R A I N A S R A C I S M A N D M I S O G Y N Y G R I P U K S C H O O L S Continued from page 1

Over the past year, the steady rise of far-right rhetoric has become a constant hum in Britain’s national conversation In October 2025, the UK Home Office reported that hate crimes recorded by police in England and Wales had risen for the first time in three years, with notable increases in racially and religiously motivated offences What begins in public discourse does not stay there It travels into homes, onto social media feeds, and eventually, into school corridors

Across the UK, teachers report a surge in misogyny and racism among pupils In an environment saturated with inflammatory commentary and divisive political messaging, prejudice is seeping into playgrounds and classrooms A survey by the NASUWT teaching union found that most teachers identified social media as the “number one cause ” of pupil misbehaviour, with female staff disproportionately targeted

The consequences stretch far beyond disciplinary records In its report ‘How Racism Affects Health,’ the Runnymede Trust described the hypervigilance that people of colour must maintain simply to feel safe; a constant state of alertness that leads to long-term physiological damage, affecting life expectancy and mental health “For those that live in more disparate communities where they show up as minorities in a more visible way, that sense of threat is acute,” said Shabna Begum, the organisation’s chief executive

The data from schools is stark In the 2023–24 academic year, more than 15,000 suspensions were issued for racist behaviour, more than double the 7,403 recorded in 2021 These cases include racist language, graffiti, physical abuse and hateful posts circulated online In primary schools alone, suspensions for racist incidents have risen by 220% over three years In one autumn term in 2023–24, 644 suspensions were recorded, compared to just 201 in 2020–21

“Children as young as four are being sent home for racist behaviour, ” Begum warned She

described families making calculated decisions about where they travel, which routes they take, and which spaces they avoid, withdrawing from community life because safety can no longer be assumed

This surge coincides with increasingly strident anti-immigration rhetoric from figures such as Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and activist Tommy Robinson When such narratives gain mainstream visibility, they shape the atmosphere young people absorb

And these figures reflect 2024 when farright narratives were only gathering momentum

The question now is not whether rhetoric shapes education It is how much deeper the impact may yet run

A systemic issue that needs urgent attention

According to Amjad Ali, Co-Founder of the BAMEed Network, a teacher and senior leader, this is a systemic issue that needs urgent attention “What I’m seeing on the ground is deeply concerning but, sadly, consistent with what the data is now showing There is a clear increase in racist language and behaviour in schools, and this is reflected in official figures Statistical figures make it clear that this is not an isolated trend ”

Ali points out how this rise is not only about general racism with colleagues reporting increases in Islamophobic and antisemitic language and incidents “These harms take different forms but they all damage a young person ’ s sense of safety, belonging and identity Pupils should feel secure in who they are, yet too many tell us they do not

“The wider political and social climate feeds into this When extremism, polarised narratives or hate rhetoric

find oxygen online and in public debate, young people are watching, listening and sometimes repeating what they see Schools cannot be immune from the world around them ”

The biggest challenge for schools is inconsistency and lack of preparation, Ali stresses and points out that too many teachers want to address racism but feel they have not been trained or supported to do it well “Many initial teacher training routes do not equip staff with the skills to respond confidently to racism, Islamophobia or antisemitism, or to build cultures where prejudice is actively challenged

“Experiencing racism corrodes trust and undermines a pupil’s ability to learn It tells a child they are other To protect students and prevent divisions from deepening we need system level change: compulsory racial literacy and prejudice reduction training for all staff, a curriculum that meaningfully reflects diverse histories and identities, and clear, transparent accountability for schools to respond robustly to all forms of hate Our young people deserve nothing less ” How UK councils are tackling racism in schools

As reports of racist incidents in schools continue to raise concern across the country, local councils are stepping up efforts to confront discrimination and build more inclusive education systems

While there is no single nationwide model, a growing number of local authorities are developing structured anti-racism strategies, investing in training, and working directly with communities to create lasting change

Across England, councils operate within the framework of the

Equality Act 2010, which requires schools to prevent discrimination and promote equality

However, many local authorities are going further, introducing targeted initiatives to address racial inequality in both policy and practice

In councils such as Brighton & Hove, Lewisham, Brent, Norfolk and various other councils have launched comprehensive anti-racist education strategies spanning several years Measures include racial literacy training for teachers and governors,

creating safe reporting mechanisms for racist incidents, amplifying the voices of Black and racially minoritised pupils, and diversifying teaching materials to better reflect Britain’s multicultural history

Staff training is a key focus Several councils provide toolkits and guidance to help schools recognise, record and respond effectively to racist behaviour Antibullying policies are increasingly being updated to explicitly reference racism, while educators are receiving support to understand the psychological impact of racial discrimination on young people

Cllr Gwen Grahl, Cabinet Member for Children's Services, Education & Employment for Brent council, asked about the steps council is taking, said, “Brent Council introduced the ‘Leading from the Top’ anti-racist leadership training in 2023–24 to embed a borough wide anti-racist culture This was followed by the

launch of the Brent Schools Race Equality Programme on 6 December 2024, designed to help all schools adopt robust anti-racist policies, reduce disproportionate exclusions, raise attainment for underperforming groups, and ensure curricula and school environments reflect Brent’s diverse communities”

Monitoring and reporting also remain areas of ongoing development

Crucially, many councils are involving parents, community leaders and grassroots organisations in shaping their approaches. Community forums, listening sessions and partnerships with local groups aim to ensure policies are not only reactive, but culturally informed and sustainable

With far-right narratives gaining more momentum, the question now is not whether rhetoric shapes education It is how much deeper the impact may yet run

Maternity inquiry reveals systematic failures and cover-ups in England

Baroness Valerie Amos published a damning interim report detailing how NHS maternity units across England have systematically covered up medical errors and falsified records

Commissioned by Health Secretary Wes Streeting in August 2025 following scandals in East Kent and Nottingham, the inquiry investigated hundreds of cases where negligent care led to devastating outcomes

The report reveals that many Trusts resorted to cloak and dagger tactics, such as redacting notes or “magically” producing altered documents years later to avoid legal accountability With the Nottingham inquiry alone involving 2,500 cases, the findings underscore a disastrous failure in a system struggling with a £27 4 billion clinical negligence liability

The investigation highlighted four critical data-backed failures defining the crisis

Firstly, the UK’s maternal death rate has risen to 12 8 per

100,000 maternities, a 20% increase since 2011 Secondly, the report exposed deep-rooted racism; Black women are nearly three times more likely to die during childbirth than White women, while Asian women face a risk 1 3 times higher Asian women were frequently stereotyped as "princesses" who exaggerate pain, while Black women were ignored under the assumption they have "tough skin "

Thirdly, Baroness Amos noted a total lack of transparency, with some baby deaths allegedly

registered as stillbirths to avoid coronial scrutiny Families seeking the truth about birth trauma were met with defensiveness, often forced into litigation simply to access their own medical records

Finally, the report identified severe resource deficits Chronic understaffing has left many units unable to meet safe standards, with 47% of services rated by the CQC as "requiring improvement" for safety Chronic understaffing has led to dangerous delays in caesarean sections and inductions, while physical facilities are frequently unusable due to fire hazards and leaking roofs Health

Secretary Wes Streeting has announced a new taskforce to implement an action plan based on these findings

While a new government taskforce aims to overhaul the sector, the current £2 6 billion annual pay-out for maternity negligence claims reflects a system that is financially and operationally at a breaking point

Labour defeated as Greens win Gorton and Denton by-election

The Green Party secured a historic victory in the Gorton and Denton by-election, pushing Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour into a humiliating third place Candidate Hannah Spencer, a local plumber, won 41% of the vote, finishing 12% points ahead of Reform UK and leaving Labour with a 25-point drop from their 2024 share

The Greens capitalised on dissatisfaction among the constituency’s large Muslim population over Labour’s stance on Gaza, while also mobilising

students and younger voters This defeat in a seat Labour held for nearly a century marks the first time since 1945 that neither Labour nor the Conservatives featured in the top two of by-elections

Sir Keir Starmer faced immediate backlash for a campaign strategy that dismissed the Greens as "sectarian" and "extremist" Internal mutiny grew as ministers criticised the leadership for being tone-deaf and for distributing nonsense claims regarding green policies While

Facial recognition error leads to wrongful arrest

Thames Valley Police faced legal action after biased facial recognition software caused the wrongful arr es t of Alv i Choudhur y in Southampton

The 26-year-old software engineer was detained for ten hours for a Milton Keynes burglary he did not commit after an algorithm incorrectly matched his mugshot with CCTV footage Despite Home Office data showing false positive rates of 4 0% for Asians compared to just 0 04% for white subjects, officers ignored visual discrepancies and alibi evidence

This incident follows a similar

settlement by South Wales Police last month involving a Black man Choudhury is now claiming damages, highlighting a critical failure where automated technology and human assessment were substituted for due diligence Alvi Choudhury

Whistleblower sues government over child protection failures

Whistleblower Maggie Oliver will bring a judicial review against the Government at the High Court in London to address failures in implementing the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) recommendations

Representing her charity, the former detective alleges that ministers failed to enact 20 major reforms

some left-wing MPs called for Starmer’s resignation, many believe his departure is inevitable as rivals like Angela Rayner gain momentum

Experts suggest the result proves the Green Party is now a viable national force, shattering Labour's argument that they are the only alternative to Reform UK Starmer now remains caught between factions demanding a move to the left and those insisting on holding the centre ground

Corbyn beats Zarah Sultana to lead Your Party

Jeremy Corbyn secured his role as Your Party’s parliamentary leader in London after defeating cofounder Zarah Sultana in a highstakes internal election

The former Labour leader’s slate, “The Many,” won 14 of the 24 seats on the Central Executive Committee (CEC), while Sultana’s “Grassroots Left” backers secured only seven Out of 40,985 verified members, 25,347 cast ballots, representing a 62% turnout This victory follows months of public infighting and a controversial

founding conference in Liverpool where Sultana protested supporter exclusions Corbyn aims to challenge Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage through a socialist platform focused on redistribution and peace

Despite the rivalry, Sultana has called for party unity and an end to internal "witch-hunts" Corbyn’s dominance in the CEC grants him control over the movement’s strategic vision and parliamentary direction

Debt write-off doubles for graduates deemed ‘unfit to work’

Millions of pounds in student loan debt has been written off for graduates registered as permanently unfit to work Last year, graduates in this category did not repay £4 million in loans, double the amount recorded four years earlier

Over the past five years, a total of £16 million in student loans has been cancelled for those providing evidence that they are unable to work in any capacity, according to figures from the Student Loans Company (SLC) Graduates can apply for writeoffs by submitting medical evidence, such as a doctor’s letter confirming permanent unfitness

for employment, alongside proof of a disability-related benefit, including Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment (PIP) The SLC does not record the specific grounds for claims or the type of disability

The news comes as the government faces criticism over Plan 2 student loans, where frozen salary thresholds and high interest rates have caused some graduates’ debt to grow faster than repayments Last year, Rachel Reeves announced a freeze on the repayment threshold at £28,470 until 2030 Interest on tuition and

maintenance loans under Plan 2, affecting borrowers in England from 2012 to July 2023, is charged at RPI plus up to 3 per cent

Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch has labelled the system a “debt trap ”

SLC data shows the rising trend: 130 graduates had £1 96 million in loans written off in 2020–21, rising to 158 graduates with £3 99 million cancelled in 2024–25 With tuition fees tripling since 2012 to £9,535 a year, the amount of debt being written off is expected to increase, particularly as interest accrues from the day loans are taken out

following the seven-year, £200 million inquiry concluded in 2022 Key data reveals that authorities still lack comprehensive ethnic and religious records on perpetrators, despite Baroness Casey’s report identifying a significant over-representation of Asian men in grooming gang cases Oliver demands urgent action to protect children

Rangrez restaurant to shut following harassment

Own er H ar man Sin gh Ka poor ann ounc ed tha t Ran gre z, an In di an re st aura nt in Ha mmer sm it h, wi ll c los e n ex t month after 16 years

The decision follows years of escalating operational costs and targeted harassment Kapoor, a vocal critic of the Khalistan movement, reported that his family faced death threats and the restaurant was vandalised following the 2023 Indian High Commission

incident Despite the Metropolitan Police reviewing CCTV and offering safeguarding, the owner claimed persistent intimidation made continuing operations impossible The closure marks a significant loss for the West London community, with Kapoor now shifting his focus toward activism This case highlights the intersection of local business survival and the impact of geopolitical tensions on community safety

Asif Aziz faces backlash over mass evictions

London M ayor Sa di q Khan demanded an urgent explanation from billionaire Labour donor Asif Azi z af ter hi s fi rm, C ri ter ion Capi ta l, i ss ued mas s e vi ct ion notices to hundreds of tenants

The move affects approximately 606 flats across South London, including Britannia Point in Colliers Wood Critics describe the action as a cynical attempt to bypass the Renters’ Rights Act, which bans Section 21 "no-fault" evictions from May 1 While Aziz, who donated £50,000 to Labour claims the notices are routine and

and

lawful, City Hall remains appalled by the scale of the displacement Local representatives warn this is London’s largest mass eviction in years, leaving residents in deep uncertainty just weeks before new legal protections commence

Rapist jailed after teen’s courageous act

A rapist will spend “ many years behind bars” after a “brave” teenage victim showed “incredible strength” and “extreme courage ” , police said Riaz Armani, 29, deliberately targeted the vulnerable 16year-old after encountering her alone in the Hamilton area shortly before midnight in September 2023 Leicester Crown Court heard he forced her to return to his then

home in Harringworth Road, where he supplied her with cannabis and raped her

The teenager managed to leave the address and was found by a night shift worker at around 4am, who alerted police Officers launched extensive enquiries to identify, locate and then arrest Armani Armani was jailed for 12 years after being convicted of two counts of rape

GIVE TO GAIN

The new architecture of women’s power

There was a time when women searching for inspiration had to look far beyond their immediate world Role models were rare, often distant, and frequently filtered through narratives shaped by others Stories, particularly those of South Asian women, were trimmed, softened, or silenced Achievement existed, but recognition did not always follow

Yet even in those quieter decades, Indian women were breaking barriers Indira Gandhi became one of the world’s most powerful political leaders Kalpana Chawla journeyed into space, expanding not only scientific frontiers but the boundaries of imagination for young girls in small towns Kiran Bedi redefined authority in uniform Mary Kom fought her way to global acclaim And Sudha Murty quietly reshaped philanthropy and literature with purpose and compassion

But these women were often presented as exceptions, extraordinary anomalies in a world still structured for men Today, something profound is shifting Women are not waiting to be framed; they are claiming their narratives They are not anomalies, they are multiplying Representation within reach

In the UK, Tahira Bibi has made history as the country’s first female train driver of Pakistani heritage, challenging the assumptions of a maledominated industry “I see it as being a role model,” she says “If younger girls from Asian or minority backgrounds see me and think, ‘If she’s done it, we can do it,’ then that makes me proud ” Representation is no longer abstract: it is visible, tangible, within reach Naz Shah, Member of Parliament for Bradford West, understands the power of visible resilience Having witnessed violence and insecurity in childhood, she transformed fracture into fortitude By occupying space unapologetically and speaking about the unspeakable, she reframed survival as strength

For her, resilience is “the gift survival gives you ”

That instinct to protect and empower runs through Gulshen Bano’s work Through Strike

Back Self Defence, a women-led organisation, she equips women and girls with practical skills that build awareness and confidence “Women don’t learn self-defence because they want to fight, they want to feel safe and get home safely,” she explains Safety becomes liberation

Beyond safety lies equality

When Ambassador Lakshmi Puri speaks about gender equality, she calls it architecture: structural and foundational After decades embedding equality into global governance,

she insists, “Gender equality is the most important project for humanity And it is mission possible ” In professional kitchens, Angula Devi challenges assumptions about who belongs there Born in Southall to firstgeneration Indian immigrant parents, she sees visibility as collective “If that challenges long-standing views about who belongs there, that’s good ” Deepa Mann-Kler is rewriting narratives around women ’ s bodies Drawing from her own perimenopausal journey, she uses virtual reality to challenge the silence surrounding menopause and dismantle the notion that a woman ’ s value peaks at reproduction

Meanwhile, Aekta Patel, founder of City O’Clock, is reshaping the UK’s luxury experience economy while championing female leadership

In a post-pandemic world, she has built a community largely powered by women “There’s a shared understanding and emotional intelligence that feels incredibly energising,” she says The hidden weight of ambition But progress is rarely pastoral It is not all blossom and ease; not for these women, not for any Behind the headlines celebrating female founders lies a quieter reality: isolation, stubborn funding gaps and the mental toll of carrying ambition in spaces not built for you

Research by Female Founders Rise reveals that for many women building companies, human connection is not a luxury, it is lifeblood Shalni Arora knows this terrain intimately As CEO of Savannah Wisdom, working across philanthropy, finance and community leadership, she speaks candidly about the loneliness that can shadow leadership Imposter syndrome, she admits, often arrives uninvited, whispering doubts amid the balancing act There have been moments, she says, when she wondered whether choosing the “easier option” might have spared her the weight of ambition

In newsrooms too, the climb has been steep Shruti Tripathi Chopra, editor-in-chief of

“I think it’s hugely important to tell stories”

Acentury ago, women in Britain were still fighting for the right to vote Today, progress is visible, yet incomplete For Naz Shah, that unfinished journey towards equality is not abstract history; it is personal

As a South Asian Muslim woman in British politics, she carries not only the responsibility of policymaking, but also the weight of representation and the lived experiences that shaped her long before she entered public life

Naz

Financial News and Private Equity News, recalls being underestimated early on Women, particularly women of colour, are too often boxed into false binaries: too soft to lead, too assertive to be palatable

Rejecting that script required her to unlearn the instinct to shrink and instead anchor herself in performance and clarity of vision As the youngest editor and first woman of colour in the role, she chose substance over stereotype Community as capital

Nearly 80 per cent of female entrepreneurs surveyed say meaningful human connection sustains not just their businesses, but their belief in themselves That conviction fuels Reena Ranger and the community she co-founded, Women Empowered Designed without gatekeeping or hierarchy, it offers something radical in its simplicity: access A room where stories are shared, lessons exchanged, and growth encouraged without prescription

For Reena, the act of giving created its own gain What began as an offering space, time, platform became a source of personal expansion Every conversation carried insight; every shared story sharpened perspective In lifting others, she found herself lifted too

At the British Museum, Sushma Jansari echoes that ethos As the first person of South Asian heritage to curate a major exhibition there, she champions humility as strength The moment we assume we have nothing left to learn, she warns, we close the door to collaboration and innovation Openness is not weakness; it is momentum

This is what real progress looks like Not a solitary figure silhouetted at the summit, but a constellation of women ascending together Role models are no longer remote legends; they are editors, curators, entrepreneurs, mentors; all women within reach

And as they rise, visibly and unapologetically, they expand the horizon for everyone watching, proving that the surest way to gain ground is to give it

Shah’s early years were marked by instability, experiences she details candidly in her memoir Yet she reflects on them with striking clarity rather than bitterness “When you ’ re living in poverty, you don’t realise it at the time,” she says “It’s only later, when you ’ re out of it, that you understand what you actually experienced ” Witnessing violence and insecurity in childhood, she explains, does not immediately mould you, it settles quietly, shaping you later in life “It doesn’t give you security It leaves you with insecurities and questions It doesn’t raise you with confidence ” And yet, from those fractures came resilience, what she calls “the gift survival gives you ” That resilience has become central to her worldview Rather than holding grudges, Shah speaks of lessons “Even a bad experience will teach you something,” she says “It will teach you what not to be and who not to be ” Rather than resentment, she channels adversity into reform, a principle that underpins both her politics and her cultural critique

One such area is the concept of izzat, or honour, deeply embedded in many South Asian communities Shah has spoken openly about how izzat was used to justify silence and endurance in her own life and how she seeks to redefine it “My izzat comes from doing the right thing,” she says firmly “It should be defined by your character, who you are and what you do, not by keeping up appearances ” Her memoir, releasing more than a decade after she first entered Parliament, was deliberately timed She was initially approached to write it when she became an MP in 2015, but chose not to “I needed to concentrate on doing my job,” she explains “I was new I needed to understand the role ” Now, older and more seasoned, she felt ready, not to change legislation through her book, but to influence culture and attitudes

And that distinction is important Shah is clear that while law matters, and she expresses pride in initiatives such as the UK’s Violence Against Women strategy and expanded childcare support, cultural transformation requires something deeper It requires stories

“I think it’s hugely important to tell stories,” she

says “Stories shape narratives, culture, influence ” In South Asian communities particularly, she believes conversations around sexual abuse, mental health and domestic violence must move from whispers to open dialogue She has already seen change begin in community spaces where oncetaboo topics are finally being discussed

Representation, she argues, is not symbolic, it is structural “You can’t make decisions about us without us, ” she says plainly Women comprise half the population, yet leadership positions still lag behind For women of colour the barriers multiply “You have to work twice as hard,” she acknowledges “When you ’ re a woman, you work harder When you ’ re a woman of colour, even more When you ’ re a Muslim woman, it’s more challenging still ”

And yet, she describes her role not as a burden but as a privilege “It doesn’t feel like a job, it feels like a calling I’m very lucky to have the job of my dreams ”

Her optimism is pragmatic, not naive She speaks candidly about the urgent challenges facing women in Britain today: mental health pressures, the cost of living crisis, violence against women, and persistent inequality Progress, she believes, must be pursued without resentment “You don’t resent the country,” she says “You work to make things better ”

That philosophy extends to confronting patriarchy within communities too Anger, she says, is understandable, but it must be purposeful “Blind anger just burns you If your anger isn’t used to create change, it becomes an internal injury ” Ultimately, Shah hopes her story carries a simple but powerful message, particularly for South Asian women who may see themselves reflected in her journey “If she can do it, we can do it,” she says By occupying space unapologetically, by speaking about the unspeakable, by transforming survival into leadership, she is not merely building a political career, she is expanding the boundaries of who belongs in power

On this Women’s Day, Shah’s story is a reminder that resilience can be revolutionary, and that sometimes, the most radical act is to turn pain into purpose

“Gender

equality

is the most important project for humanity”

When Ambassador Lakshmi Puri speaks about gender equality, she does not frame it as a peripheral social issue For her, it is architecture: global, structural, foundational

A former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Deputy Executive Director of UN Women, Puri has spent decades embedding gender equality into the machinery of global governance

Before her 15-year tenure at the UN, she served for 28 years in the Indian Foreign Service, including as India’s Ambassador to Hungary

That dual experience, national diplomacy and multilateral leadership, shapes her conviction that gender equality is not simply a moral imperative, but a development strategy and a security necessity

“Gender equality and women ’ s empowerment are not only ends in themselves,” she says “They are essential means to achieving every other global public good ” The architecture of equality

At UN Women, Puri helped build what she calls a “global gender architecture,” anchored in five interconnected pillars: peace and security, sustainable development, climate action, human rights and democracy, and technology

Take peace and security Since the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in 2000, the women, peace and security agenda has recognized women ’ s role in conflict prevention and peacebuilding Under Puri’s leadership, gender perspectives were strengthened across UN peacemaking efforts

“Case after case shows that when women participate, peace agreements are more durable,” she notes In sustainable development, her influence was even more pronounced Puri was closely involved in shaping the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 5) and mobilizing support for a standalone gender goal within the 2030 Agenda “We ensured that gender equality was not an afterthought,” she says, “but a comprehensive goal in itself, and integrated across 11 other SDGs ” The message was clear: without women ’ s equal participation, economic growth and environmental sustainability are

incomplete

Climate negotiations, too, required a shift in perspective Women are disproportionately affected by climate change, yet often excluded from decision-making

From the Paris Climate framework onward, gender equality provisions were woven into climate discussions, highlighting women not only as vulnerable populations but as agents of innovation

Across all these arenas, Puri insists, gender mainstreaming must be a core strategy “It is not pink-washing,” she says firmly “From conception to policy design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, women ’ s voices and agency must be integrated ” A woman in a man ’ s world

Yet Puri’s commitment to equality was forged not just in conference halls but in personal experience When she joined India’s Foreign Service, women made up just five percent of the cadre Today, the number is higher, around 13 percent overall, with 20 percent at entry level, but still far from parity

“There were struggles,” she admits, “but I learned to turn challenges into advantages ”

She recalls an early posting in Tokyo, where she was told that the media would not accept a woman diplomat , “especially one in a sari ” Offered an administrative desk role instead, she refused “Give me two months,” she said “If I don’t succeed, you can withdraw me ” She proved them wrong “It was a test of conviction,” she reflects

Being underestimated, she says, became a “secret weapon ” It allowed her to surprise counterparts with competence and resolve

She would go on to become the first Indian woman appointed Assistant SecretaryGeneral at the UN

The fiction of truth

In recent years, Puri has turned to fiction to tell another kind of story

Her debut novel, ‘Swallow the Sun’, is a sweeping historical saga inspired by her parents’ lives and India’s freedom

movement

The novel follows Malti, a young woman who defies child marriage, studies at Elphinstone College, becomes a lawyer, and joins the independence struggle Historical figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and Annie Besant intersect with the narrative, blending personal and national histories

“I chose fiction because it reaches the heart, not only the intellect,” Puri explains During the COVID lockdown, she completed the manuscript she had begun decades earlier The book has since become a national bestseller and is being adapted into a web series

Beyond fiction, Puri has also written ‘The Sari Eternal’, a cultural and civilizational exploration of India’s most iconic garment The book examines the sari not merely as attire, but as a symbol of continuity, identity, empowerment and diplomacy Drawing from her own experience of wearing the sari on global diplomatic platforms, Puri reflects on how it became both a personal statement and a political one, challenging stereotypes while asserting cultural confidence Progress and peril

Today, women ’ s representation in diplomacy is rising At the UN, parity targets have pushed female participation in senior roles to as high as 40 percent in some tiers Yet the world has still never had a woman SecretaryGeneral

“There is strong advocacy this time,” Puri notes, though she tempers optimism with realism The UN itself faces institutional strain, funding withdrawals, and geopolitical fragmentation

When asked about her legacy, Puri does not hesitate She points to five enduring contributions: transforming UN Women into a global convener; strengthening international gender norms; mobilizing mass campaigns like HeForShe; embedding gender mainstreaming across the UN system; and driving a data revolution to “make women count ”

Despite current pushbacks, her tone remains resolute

“Gender equality is the most important project for humanity,” she says “And it is mission possible ”

Aekta Patel, founder of City O’Clock, is on a mission to transform the UK’s luxury experience scene, offering cu rat ed, memo rab le moments that blend quality, culture, and connection, while championing female leadership in the post-pandemic experience economy

At the start of her entrepreneurial journey, Aekta Patel said, “I didn’t begin this to become a founder I wanted better experiences for my own family and realised many others felt the same City O’Clock grew from that personal need into a mission to redefine how we discover and enjoy meaningful moments I care deeply about the details, the venue, the atmosphere, the service and storytelling, and wanted every experience to reflect true quality That belief led me to leave my senior role in the British Government to build City O’Clock and help reshape the experience economy ” On the experiences that led to the creation of City O’Clock, Aekta said, “At the Office for Investment, a joint unit between Number 10, HM Treasury and the Department for Business and Trade, I worked on attracting global investors to the UK We partnered with Quintessentially to offer ‘ money-can ’t-buy’ experiences, giving me a front-row seat to the depth of extraordinary British culture, from private tours to exclusive access What struck me was how inaccessible these experiences were to the wider public At the same time, I saw a clear shift in consumer behaviour, with more people choosing experiences

C E S

for special occasions, yet the market remained fragmented, inconsistent and often out of reach ”

On her mission to position the UK as “the best destination for curated, cherished experiences,” Aekta said, “For years, the UK hasn’t been associated with high-touch luxury the way the Middle East has There, service is intuitive and seamless In the UK, quality exists but is often hidden or limited My goal is to change that perception and show the UK can deliver world-class, modern, human, and culturally rich experiences ” She added, “Consumer behaviour has shifted dramatically post-pandemic People now prioritise time, connection, and shared moments Over a third of consumers want to spend more on experiences, and 43% are choosing to live in the moment rather than plan ahead, according to Ernst & Young London alone is set to see £10bn invested in its experience economy over the next decade People aren’t just looking for activitiesm they want intentional, elevated, and memorable moments At City O’Clock, we offer a curated platform of vetted luxury

experiences to meet that demand ” Aekta said community, particularly female networks, has been central to building City O’Clock “My team is largely made up of women, and many of my closest advisors and mentors are women too Their support and belief in the vision have shaped this journey in ways I couldn’t have imagined Coming from a male-dominated investment environment, moving into a space where I work mostly with women has been refreshing There’s a shared understanding and emotional intelligence that feels incredibly energising ” On International Women’s Day, Aekta said, “This day reminds me that women are often more risk-averse and less confident, even when fully capable It’s a moment to challenge that narrative and celebrate women who prove every day that we can achieve anything When a woman builds a business, she’s not just filling a market gap, she’s considering what women need, how they navigate the world, and offering a perspective that’s powerful and deserves recognition ” On advising women hesitant about entrepreneurship, Aekta said, “My advice is to pursue something you ’ re truly passionate about, beyond just making money Entrepreneurship is demanding, and passion is what carries you through uncertainty, long nights, and setbacks When you believe in what you ’ re building, even the hard days feel meaningful ”

Labour MP leads pioneering physiotherapy training in Ukraine

Labour MP Son ia Kumar, who won Dudley in 2024 and works as an NHS physiotherapist, has led a pioneering visit to Ukraine to prov id e phy si ot hera py training

She organised the trip after a September visit, where she was moved by the courage and resilience of injured Ukrainian soldiers Last month, President Zelensky reported 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed, though other sources estimate up to 200,000 After a long journey on a “rickety train,” Kumar helped train 25 clinicians to treat conflict-related injuries, from back and shoulder issues to ankle sprains She noted the frontline context made care more urgent, asking, “If an ankle injury balloons up, how do you manage it quickly and get someone

back to fighting?” She also treated patients with brain injuries and amputations, adding, “I would do it again ” Kumar discussed how the UK could better support Ukrainian health professionals, noting that mental support is crucial but staff also need practical skills and partnerships She described

the visit as “what international cooperation looks like at its best” and hoped it would mark the start of a long-term UK-Ukraine healthcare partnership The training, held at Kyiv’s Institute of Vertebrology and Rehabilitation, was delivered with the Patients of Ukraine Charitable Foundation UK physiotherapist at the programme, Tanisha Sandhu said the injuries in Ukraine are complex, adding that sharing techniques to improve recovery or reduce pain can make a big difference Ukraine’s Deputy Health Minister Yevheniy Honchar highlighted rehabilitation as a top priority due to warrelated demand and thanked the British experts for enhancing local skills and knowledge

“GIVE TO GAIN”

Every year, Women in Conversation brings together powerful voices on one stage in a celebration of resilience, leadership and lived experience. Hosted by Asian Voice in association with the Royal Air Force, the annual panel marks International Women’s Day with insight, honesty and inspiration

On 13 March 2026, the conversation will unfold at the House of Lords, London, under this year’s compelling theme: “Give to Gain ” Through personal stories, professional journeys and hard-won lessons, the moderator and panellists will explore how generosity of time, mentorship, courage and conviction often becomes the very pathway to growth, influence and lasting impact

The interviews and biographies that follow offer a glimpse into their remarkable perspectives and the experiences that have shaped them

The Royal Air Force Unrivalled Career Options

FS Sun ita Ave n

FS Sunita “Sunny” Aven is a dynamic and accomplished HR Specialist whose career is defined by purpose, resilience and an unwavering passion for helping others succeed Since joining the RAF in 1996, she has built a reputation as a confident, people-focused leader who brings energy, compassion, and professionalism to every role she undertakes

Now serving at RAF Halton, FS Aven is the HR Analyst, playing a key role in shaping the RAF’s future through role analysis and proactive support to personnel Her career has spanned a wide variety of appointments, including welfare and recruitment, where she has empowered countless young people to unlock their potential and thrive during the challenges

Sergeant Wazeeha Laher

Sergeant Wazeeha Laher joined the Royal Air Force in 1998 as an intelligence Analyst (Linguist), launching a career defined by operational excellence, cultural expertise and relentless drive Following trade training her first posting took her to JSSU Digby in Lincolnshire – the beginning of a distinguished journey in the military

Over the course of her career, Sgt Laher has deployed operationally to Northern Ireland, Afghanistan and the Falkland Island, contributing critical intelligence support in complex and demanding environments

of basic training Her Service has also taken her across the world She has travelled widely with the RAF and completed a tour in the Falkland Islands, experiences that allowed her to see the global impact of

Respect Integrity Service Excellence

the organisation and strengthen her sense of purpose within it

FS Aven’s commitment to leadership and Service values has earned her opportunities to influence senior leaders and represent the RAF at national events, including delivering a reading at Westminster Abbey for the Battle of Britain service

Known for her warmth, strength, and determination, she describes the RAF as a community that challenges you, develops you, and surrounds you with people who want to see you succeed Her message to anyone considering a career is simple and powerful:

“The RAF doesn’t just create careers, it shapes confident, capable people If you have the passion to grow and be part of something bigger, the opportunities are limitless ”

multiple languages, her most recent is Arabic To deepen her cultural and linguistic fluency she immersed herself abroad, travelling to countries including Colombia, India and Jordan –sharpening not only her language skills but her global perspective

Driven by resilience and a spirit of adventure, she has tackled challenges far beyond the workplace, form sailing in the Caribbean and rock climbing to parachuting, skiing and snowboarding She consistently pushes her limits and has completed multiple ultramarathons in support of military charities

She is currently training for an 100km ultramarathon in the Albanian Mountains

A gifted linguist, Sgt Laher holds qualifications in

Across 27 years of service, she has embraced roles beyond her core trade, serving as Assistant to the Islamic Advisor to the Chief of the Defence Staff In an outreach role she was pivotal in strengthening leadership and command capability among young people through outreach initiatives, championing inclusion and representation within Defence

Today, Sgt Laher serves as a Full-Time reservist on the Ethnic Minorities Community Engagement Team, continuing to inspire, connect and lead with purpose

he RAF is no ordinary employer

We look at you differently; a career in the RAF is about discovering your natural talent and working together to find out what makes you happy, productive ands brings you the most value in your life

The RAF is full of ordinary folk who come to us often with nothing more than desire to lead a less ordinary existence

Our people remain at the heart of our organisation They are our strength, and to ensure our continued success, we must stay committed to attracting new talent

Inclusivity is therefore fundamental to our

R Toperational effectiveness By continuing to embed pride and belonging across our Service, and by fostering a shared purpose, we can only strengthen our collective resolve

The RAF’s core values of RISE Respect, Integrity, Service and Excellence form the foundation of our inclusive approach This approach ensures our people are empowered to thrive, regardless of their background, role, or experience The RAF has always taken pride in recognising and valuing the unique contributions each individual brings to the Service

Our collaboration with the Asian Business Publication Ltd has given a platform to increase our footprint within many diverse communities and allowed our team to further enhance our honed skills within the inclusivity sphere

“Your weaknesses can be your strengths”

eena Ranger OBE does not speak about leadership in abstract terms For her, it begins with visibility, with being seen in rooms where, for a long time, women like her simply were not.

Growing up, politics was not something she studied; it was something she absorbed Her father was politically active, and family outings often meant community events designed to widen horizons Yet on television and in public life, she saw very few women, and even fewer ethnic minority women, who reflected her world Representation felt distant, almost theoretical

Today, that picture has shifted There are more South Asian women in public life, more diverse voices shaping policy But for Reena, representation is only meaningful when it comes with influence “It’s not just about having a seat at the table,” she often reflects “It’s about having a voice at the table ” Real experiences, she believes, enrich debate and produce better decisions Lived reality matters

Her own lived reality was quietly shaped by something she did not fully understand until much later School was often confusing and discouraging Struggling academically, she internalised the idea that difficulty meant deficiency It was only three years ago, after receiving a formal diagnosis of dyslexia and ADHD, that the pieces began to align The label did not diminish her, it liberated her There was sadness for the younger version of herself who had not been supported, but there was also clarity What once felt like

weaknesses revealed themselves as strengths: empathy, creativity, the ability to think laterally and juggle multiple perspectives at once “Your weaknesses can be your strengths They give you empathy, a unique worldview, and the ability to multitask and see things differently ” This philosophy underpins her work with Women Empowered, which she co-founded to create inclusive spaces for learning and networking “Unlike

Representation is only meaningful when it comes with influence.

“It’s not just about having a seat at the table,” she often reflects.

“It’s about having a voice at the table.”

large institutions with barriers, Women Empowered was designed to be open to everyone; anyone could attend, hear stories, and connect with others The goal was never prescriptive; it was to help people become the best version of themselves ”

Reena stresses the importance of networks, particularly for women navigating life’s challenges “Having people to bounce ideas off, seek advice from, and learn from provides resilience and strength ”

But even the most passionate leaders must learn restraint Reena speaks candidly about balance When you care deeply about something, the instinct is to charge forward Yet burnout helps no one Life, she believes, unfolds in chapters

Each chapter demands its own rhythm, its own priorities

Awarded an OBE in 2019 for her services to BAME women, Reena has served as a Three Rivers District Councillor since 2014 and as a Hertfordshire County Councillor (2021–2025), holding key roles in Highways, Transport, Public Health, and Community Safety

And what of legacy?

For Reena, it is not about titles or honours, though she holds many It is about intention She hopes to be remembered as someone who cared, who tried, who acted with integrity

Someone who built bridges and opened doors

Perhaps even someone who planted a few trees: quiet, lasting symbols that growth, when nurtured, continues long after you step aside

A new narrative of British-Asian leadership

here is a quiet certainty about Shalni Arora OBE, the kind forged early, in homes where responsibility arrives before adolescence has quite finished At 12, while other children were still being looked after, she was helping raise her younger siblings as her mother worked It gave her a work ethic too and sense of responsibility, and success was an expectation “I did not work so hard for you not to achieve your potential,” her mother would remind her, a sentence that became both anchor and fuel

Today, Arora stands at the intersection of philanthropy, finance and community leadership As CEO of Savannah Wisdom, she oversees a private family charitable foundation while investing in life sciences ventures She co-founded and chairs Belong – The Cohesion and Integration Network, serves as ViceChair and Trustee of the British Asian Trust, supports grassroots impact through Altrincham Football

“Life is a jungle gym not a ladder,” and “sometimes you move sideways or even down, but you can still climb to achieve your goals over a longer term.”

Community Trust, and sits on the Council of the Institute for Fiscal Studies

Her contributions have been recognised with a Medal of Honour from the University of Manchester and a Beacon Award for Philanthropy

But leadership, she says, is rarely glamorous It is often lonely and exhausting; especially for someone juggling multiple hats: executive, mother, daughterin-law, wife “It is lonely, and difficult to motivate yourself when facing imposter syndrome too on top of the

constant balancing act ” At times, she candidly admits to have wondered “if I should have taken the easier option and not been driven by ambition and achievement ”

But she is extremely comfortable with who she is and grateful for “the full support of a loving husband, my biggest fan, and the gratitude of two daughters ” Her philosophy is simple: “life is a jungle gym not a ladder,” and “sometimes you move sideways or even down, but you can still climb to achieve your goals over a longer term ”

Arora’s leadership style is shaped as much by spirituality as by spreadsheets She speaks of seva and of kindness, humility, honesty and equality as non-negotiables

Yet she is candid about the cultural pressures that measure success in money, influence or proximity to power As a British-Asian woman in visible positions of authority, she has felt compelled to prove that her success is earned, not inherited or tokenistic

To counter that, she says, “I have had to work hard to prove myself, keep achieving academically, and demonstrating that my success is mine alone ”

Women, she believes, must reach back and lift others up, sharing not just contacts and career advice, but the everyday knowledge that makes life lighter: shortcuts, recipes, even the name of a trusted facialist

Sisterhood, she insists, is strategy

Entrepreneurs such as Martha Lane Fox inspired her to think expansively; to see success not as exception but as possibility

For her, empowerment distils to one word: choice

The ability to decide, freely and without apology, who to be and how to live And in modelling that choice visibly, she hopes to reshape perceptions: that BritishAsian women can honour family and faith, embrace ambition, and lead without relinquishing either

“Enjoy the ride,” she tells young women who aspire to follow “And don’t climb alone ”

“When women champion and support one another, the entire sector benefits”

r Sushma Jansari is a cultural changemaker and South Asia Curator at the British Museum She was the first person of South Asian heritage to curate a major exhibition at the Museum – Ancient India: living traditions, which inspired the theme of the inaugural Pink Ball She also serves as Vice Chair of Trustees at the Roald Dahl Museum

Previously, she led the co-curation of the South Asia Gallery at Manchester Museum and was involved in the reimagining and curation of the Sir Joseph Hotung Gallery of China and South Asia at the British Museum

A strong advocate for inclusivity in the arts, she founded The Wonder House podcast and regularly writes on art, history and popular culture, making these subjects accessible to wider audiences

Sushma said her interest in the arts and heritage sector began at a young age, with regular visits to free

“It’s about bringing society together and sharing knowledge about different faiths and cultures"

museums in Leicester

“When I was a child, my mum would often take me to local museums It was educational, which, as any Indian parent would say, is important, but I also simply loved being in those spaces, ” she said

Over time, her connection to museums deepened

“For me now, it’s about enriching people’s lives Study after study shows that engaging with culture has a real impact on health and wellbeing, for both adults and children It’s also about building genuine, meaningful partnerships where decisionmaking is shared That’s vital if we want more people to engage with culture widely and deeply ”

She believes museums play a vital role in making national collections more accessible and relevant

“These are our collections collectively,” she said, stressing the need for diverse interpretations and a sense

of shared ownership

Reflecting on her exhibition, she added, “It’s about bringing society together and sharing knowledge about different faiths and cultures, not to homogenise differences, but to reflect how we live alongside one another ”

Speaking about traditionally exclusive institutions, Sushma acknowledged the challenge of having her understanding of her own faith and culture questioned She pointed to ongoing “gatekeeping,” with some acting as “the arbiters of what is correct,” making it harder to introduce lived perspectives At the same time, she highlighted the power of collaboration “It’s not just me saying something, it’s other people completely backing it up, ” she said, noting that initiatives like South Asian Heritage Month have created greater visibility, even if the journey is “certainly not easy ”

Reflecting on the theme “Give to Gain,” Sushma emphasised humility and openness, particularly among women entering the sector “Don’t assume you know everything,” she said, warning that the moment anyone believes they have nothing left to learn, “ you shut off knowledge, you shut off innovation, and you shut off collaboration ”

She also highlighted a significant generational shift among South Asian curators in the UK “Even one generation back, you’d be hardpressed to find many women, ” she noted, whereas today women form the majority in the field, with more continuing to come through As communities have become more established, more women feel empowered to pursue the arts as meaningful careers rather than just hobbies However, she cautioned that financial insecurity remains a challenge Above all, she stressed the importance of solidarity: “That time for gatekeeping is gone, ” she said, emphasising that when women champion and support one another, the entire sector benefits

“Leadership isn’t about fitting a mould, it’s about expanding it”

hruti Tripathi Chopra is the editor-in-chief of Financial News and Private Equity News, two Dow Jones publications that have served the finance sector for nearly three decades. The youngest editor in their history, she is also the first woman and first person of colour to hold the role.

In December 2025, she was awarded the ‘Freedom of the City’ in recognition of her contribution to the finance sector A champion of diversity, equity and inclusion, she launched the South Asian Power Brokers list, marking the occasion by closing the London Stock Exchange Her accolades include ‘Journalist of the Year – Stewardship’ at the State Street Global Advisors Awards, DEI Journalist of the Year at the Aviva Investors media awards, and the Cardiff University 30(ish) Alumni Award in 2024

Speaking to Asian Voice, Shruti said she had consciously challenged and unlearned stereotypes throughout her career “Early on, I was often underestimated There’s a persistent view that women, particularly women of colour, are either too soft to lead or too aggressive when they do I’ve had to reject the idea that authority must look or sound a certain way, and unlearn the instinct to shrink myself to make others comfortable Stepping forward for senior roles, including the editorship, meant entering rooms where I wasn’t always expected There were moments of doubt, even tears on the Tube, but each time I stayed, spoke up and delivered, I dismantled those assumptions ”

As the youngest editor and first woman of colour in the role, she said she navigated expectations by focusing on performance and clarity of vision “The visibility can feel heavy, but it’s also powerful I chose not to dilute who I am, whether that meant wearing Indian clothes to industry events or leading with my own perspective Professionally, I leaned into results Under my editorship, Financial News has won multiple awards and strengthened its agenda-setting journalism Excellence makes it harder for anyone to reduce you to a label ” On realising her perspective was a strength rather than a hurdle, Shruti said, “During a major editorial debate, I saw that

my different lens wasn’t a liability but an asset Viewing the story through the experience of someone who has felt ‘othered’ in elite spaces sharpened our coverage and resonated with readers It made me understand that the lived experience I once tried to mute actually gave me stronger instincts and deeper empathy When that coverage went on to win industry recognition, it reinforced that my perspective helps me spot

"Put your hand up, even when you feel unsure, no one is ever fully ready. Build resilience, because persistence compounds."

blind spots and ask tougher questions ” Reflecting on the lessons she feels responsible to pass on, she added, “Put your hand up, even when you feel unsure, no one is ever fully ready Build resilience, because persistence compounds Let excellence speak for you, and protect your authenticity Leadership isn’t about fitting a mould; it’s about expanding it ” Advising women told to “fit in”, she said, “Fitting in is short term; authentic leadership lasts You may be asked to soften your voice or tone down your ambition, resist that pressure Keep showing up, deliver excellence and celebrate who you are When you lead authentically, you give others permission to do the same ”

Rewriting menopause as a revolution

Deepa Mann-Kler’s radical VR experience, through immersive technology, reclaims menopause as a rebellion challenging silence and stigma

WhenDeepa Mann-Kler talks about menopause, she doesn’t lower her voice She doesn’t frame it as a quiet medical milestone or an inevitable diminishment Instead, she calls it what it felt like: disorientating, destabilizing and ultimately, revolutionary

Mann-Kler’s latest work, The Baby

South by Southwest (SXSW) 2026 as part of its XR Experience Competition, is a 20-

Zoraan, a British-born Sikh woman navigating menopause amid climate crisis, surveillance culture and inherited medical bias But to understand the fire behind the piece, you have to understand the woman who made it

Politics, policy and the power of storytelling

political and emotional Born in India, she spent her early years moving between Calcutta, Delhi and Chandigarh before her family eventually settled in the UK

L

worldview was already expansive Her parents were formidable influences: her mother a trade union representative and BBC radio performer, her father a Labour councillor who later became Lord Mayor Their house pulsed with debate, activism and community

“Knowledge is power, ” she was told repeatedly growing up And knowledge, she learned early, would not be optional

At the London School of Economics, she studied Social Policy, later completing postgraduate work in European Social Policy before building a career in equality advocacy One of her most formative pro-

report on racism in the region Working closely with Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese and Pakistani communities, she documented lived experiences of exclusion from healthcare, policing and education

It was there that she sharpened her understanding of storytelling as a catalyst Data informs Story transforms

F o r o v e r a d

k e d i n equality, married, raised two children, and gradually began to explore a parallel creative life as a painter Then grief inter-

s death in 2016, she found herself unable to

paint The silence was heavy

The turning point came in Iceland

Inside an immersive installation by Björk

at Reykjavik’s Harpa Concert Hall, MannKler experienced virtual reality for the first time Music, image and embodiment merged “For a moment,” she said, “ my grief lifted ” It was enough and she founded her company, Neon, and soon after premiered her first VR project at SXSW

She has been working at the intersection of art, empathy and technology ever since and all her projects share a throughline: immersive storytelling in service of social equity

Reclaiming the body as rebellion

Menopause was different It was personal N o w a p p r o a c h i n g 5 7 , M a n n - K

arrived without warning, the brain fog that made simple tasks feel mountainous, the creeping sense that her body had turned traitor “I was shocked by how little I understood,” she admits “And I’m someone who researches everything ”

The ignorance unsettled her almost as much as the symptoms Rather than approaching the subject as a problem to be solved, Mann-Kler approached it as a narrative to be reclaimed

I n ‘ T h e B

, menopause becomes insurgent terrain Zoraan, the protagonist, is furious, funny, s h a r p - t o n

audience does not watch her struggle; they inhabit it

The title itself is a provocation A challenge to the idea that a woman ’ s value peaks at reproduction

As artificial intelligence and immersive technologies increasingly shape global culture, Mann-Kler is determined that women not only participate but lead She sees virtual reality as a space that has, in many ways, welcomed diverse voices

s

abilities and identities using immersion to reframe dominant narratives But she remains cautious about AI, particularly a r o u n d b

k entrenching gender and racial inequalities

“It’s not enough to be in the room, ” she says “We have to shape the systems from the ground up ”

If there is a single thread that runs through Deepa Mann-Kler’s life, from a politically charged childhood in Leicester to international festival premieres, it is this: refusal Refusal to accept invisibility

accept

“Women don’t want to fight, they want to feel safe”

Self-defence is an essential life skill, especially for women navigating safety concerns in their daily lives Founded by West Midlands–based entrepreneur Gulshen Bano, ‘Strike Back Self Defence’ is a womenled organisation dedicated to equipping women and girls with practical self-defence skills that build awareness, confidence and personal safety

S p e a k i n g t o A

inspiration behind founding ‘Strike Back Self Defence’, Gulshen said, “I’m a former pharmacist, and I experienced several physical assaults, some at work and some simply walking home I realised how unsafe I was and that I was being targeted because I looked small and unable to fight back That made me want to find a way to protect myself and regain some control ” She added, “When I started learning Krav Maga over 15 years ago, so many women shared their own stories with me But many didn’t feel comfortable attending mixed classes or being taught by male instructors, especially those who had experienced trauma That’s when I realised there was a real need for a safe, female-only space ” I qualified as an instructor and created Strike Back Self Defence as a supportive environment where women and girls, regardless of background or faith, could l e a r n t o d e f e n d t h e m s e l v e s a n d f e e l empowered ” Strike Back Self Defence centres on awareness, prevention and building confidence Highlighting its holistic approach, Gulshen said, “Women don’t learn selfdefence because they want to fight, they want to feel safe and get home safely As a petite woman, I know I don’t want to get into a physical confrontation with someone bigger and stronger, and most women feel the same ”

She stressed that the training is about more than physical moves “It’s about spotting red flags, reading body language and trusting your instincts Women are highly intuitive, but we ’ re often conditioned to ignore that gut feeling to avoid seeming rude ”

“We encourage women to act on that instinct,” she added “If something feels wrong, remove yourself That awareness and confidence can stop situations from escalating The physical skills are there if needed, but women fight for survival, not ego ” As a women ’ s safety advocate, Gulshen

addressed the view that women should not have to “adjust” their behaviour to stay safe “ W e a g r e e t h a t m e n ’ s a t t i t u d

change, but that will take time In the meantime, women still deserve to be safe,” she said

She stressed that the goal is empowerment, not restriction “We’re not telling women not to go out or travel We’re saying live your life, but have the skills to protect yourself if something feels wrong ”

Using a simple analogy, she added, “We lock our doors at night because we know burglars exist That’s prevention It’s not about blame, it’s about giving women the confidence and basic skills to stay safe ”

Dragons’ Den, said securing a Dragon as an investor was a major milestone “I’ve been advocating for women ’ s safety for years, but this is a global issue Whether in the UK or elsewhere, women share the same fears and experiences,” she said

She emphasised the urgency of action “ W e h e a r a b o u t l o n g - t e r m p l a

women are being attacked today Safety can’t wait ten years CCTV and patrols aren’t enough when assaults happen in isolation This has to be a priority now ” F

amplifying the message “It was about visibility, pushing the conversation worldwide Every woman I speak to says, ‘Enough is enough ’ If that makes people uncomfortable, then we ’ re having the right conversation ”

“Don’t let anyone shrink you The power has always been yours, you are stronger and more capable than you think We’re simply reminding women to reclaim that strength, stand tall and take control Living in what can feel like a man ’ s world is tough, but it doesn’t define us ”

Majority of women unaware menopause affects mental health

and low mood are common, some women face a higher likelihood of serious illness Perimenopausal

The RCPsych warns that this knowledge gap means many women are not

likely to develop bipolar disorder and 30% more likely to experience clinical depression Hormonal and physical changes can also trigger or worsen eating disorders, and suicide rates are higher a m o

menopausal age

or

Health found 58% of Black women in the U

formed about menopause, with many describing it as “psychologically damaging ” Over half reported anxiety, often misdiagnosed as general anxiety or depression, and only 23% used hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to manage symptoms

COOKING WITH PURPOSE

How Anjula Devi took ‘home cooking’ to Manchester United

In a world where food is often reduced to trend and technique, Anjula Devi brings it back to what it has always truly been: connection, memory and power.

An Indian chef, author and storyteller at heart, Anjula has built a remarkable career by blending flavour with feeling. Her recipes do more than nourish; they carry the warmth of heritage, the resilience of migration and the confidence of a woman redefining Indian cuisine on her own terms. Through her cookbooks — Authentic Indian Food, Spice for Life, and 15 Minute Indian — she has transformed perceptions of Indian cooking.

What’s more? Her expertise has taken her far beyond the home kitchen. As a consultant chef for Manchester United, Anjula has crafted authentic dishes for one of the world’s most recognised football clubs, while also collaborating with leading retail, electronics and food brands.

Born in Southall to first-generation Indian immigrant parents, and one of eight siblings, Anjula’s culinary journey began at just ten years old, cooking beside her father. But her impact extends beyond food. A passionate educator, she dedicated years to volunteering in primary and special needs schools, a commitment that earned her the honour of becoming a torchbearer at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Today, Anjula continues to inspire through her healthy, accessible approach to Indian cuisine, reminding us that every dish

has a story, and every story has the power to bring people together.

In this interview, we explore how she built a formidable name for herself in a field often trivialised for women within the South Asian community, and how her role as consultant chef for Manchester United is redefining the place of Indian cuisine, and an Indian woman chef, within one of the world’s most iconic kitchens.

Back to the beginning, what first drew you to food and how much of that inspiration came from the women in your family?

I think food found me out of necessity

long before it ever became my passion. As the next eldest daughter, the responsibility of feeding my siblings fell to me while my mum and dad were at work. The kitchen became my space in making sure that everyone was fed.

That sense of nurturing was deeply rooted in the women in my family. I grew up watching them cook using no measurements and with minimal fuss. They often had to make something from very little - that has stayed with me.

Cooking is often seen as a domestic duty for South Asian women, yet professional kitchens have historically been male dominated. When did you first see it as a career?

I didn’t grow up thinking ‘I’m going to be a chef.’ It was only later, when people beyond my family began responding positively to my food that I realised what I had been taught had real value. I came to understand that home cooking required skill and technique and carried heritage. I began to see that cooking professionally was giving our food the wider recognition it deserved. Did you ever feel that your work was taken less seriously because it emerged from a tradition that is often dismissed as “home cooking”?

Occasionally, but I realised that it’s where the real expertise lies - cooking by

Women taking the lead on the rails

Railways have traditionally been a male-dominated industry, but Tahira Bibi is helping to change that narrative. One of Northern’s qualified train drivers, she has made history as the UK’s first female train driver of Pakistani heritage. From Bradford, Tahira passed her final exams to qualify as a train driver. She began her training with Northern in May 2019, though the process was extended due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Before joining the railway, Tahira built a varied career, serving with the British Transport Police (BTP) for a decade and previously working in the charity sector.

On being recognised as the UK’s first female train driver of British-Pakistani and Muslim heritage, Tahira said, “When I first joined Northern, I didn’t really think about it. I noticed there weren’t any Asian females, only a couple of Asian males, but it was only later that I was told I was the first in the country. I thought, ‘Oh wow.’” My family, friends and local community were very proud. It hadn’t been done before, so it felt special. “I see it as being a role model. The railway has traditionally been a maledominated environment, so if younger girls from Asian or minority backgrounds see me and think, ‘If she’s done it, we

can do it,’ then that makes me proud.”

Speaking about the importance of representation in a traditionally maledominated railway industry, Tahira said, “It’s very important actually, because the way jobs are these days, with equality and women wanting to do something different from the traditional roles they used to go into, especially for young girls, visible representation really matters. I often have students come up to me on station platforms when I’m walking to my driving cab, and they’re inspired to see an Asian female driving a train. I tell them, ‘You can do it as well.’ The country is diverse, full of different minorities, and for them to know they can be part of something that hasn’t traditionally been seen as a job for them, that’s why representation is so important.”

On staying motivated through the demanding

journey to becoming a driver, Tahira said, “The whole process is tough, from the application and interviews to the assessments you have to pass just to be considered.” She admitted there were moments of self-doubt, particularly during the nine-to-twelve-month training period, which ends with an intensive four-day assessment. “Some say it’s like doing a full degree in nine months. There were times I thought, ‘I’m not going to be able to do this.’ But what kept me going is that I genuinely love driving trains.”

On whether she has seen positive changes in workplace culture, Tahira said, “Absolutely, especially at Northern. There’s growing female representation, not just in driving roles but across the company.” She added that other Train Operating Companies are also becoming more inclusive. “Northern is proactive about gender equality and

instinct, balancing flavours without measurements, feeding people with little. I had to adapt and evolve for that knowledge to be recognised in professional kitchens, but I never changed the core of the food itself.

Becoming a consultant chef for Manchester United, when you first stepped into that kitchen, did you feel you were representing more than yourself perhaps a cuisine, a culture, or a generation of women?

I was very aware that I wasn’t just there as an individual chef. I carried my culture with me, as well as the food I grew up with, and represented the women who taught me to cook. I had a sense of responsibility and purpose. South Asian food hasn’t always been available in spaces like that, but I definitely felt that my food deserved to be there.

How important is it for you to be visible, not just as a chef, but as a South Asian woman occupying space unapologetically.

My view is that visibility isn’t just personal, it’s collective too. As a South Asian woman, I always enjoy being in a professional kitchen – if that challenges long-standing views about who belongs there, that’s good. I hope it says that our knowledge, flavours, and voices deserve to be there on merit.

bringing in people from ethnic minority backgrounds. It’s definitely changing, and that change needs to happen.”

About the role of support systems in her journey, Tahira said, “My manager, colleagues and the group I trained with were incredibly supportive. Whenever I had a ‘wobble’ and started doubting myself, they would sit down, talk it through and encourage me. We really supported each other; there was a strong network around me.”

Looking ahead, she said, “I’d love to see more female drivers, especially from Asian, Black and minority backgrounds. At Northern, there are only two of us from minority backgrounds, which isn’t many.” She also hopes more women will enter engineering and move into leadership roles. “Representation on the ground and at the top really matters. It is changing, and I hope to see even more women rise through the ranks.”

Tahira added that she has been involved in International Women’s Day events for nearly 20 years.

“It’s important to have a visible day that shines a light on women, their struggles, their achievements and their triumphs. It’s also about recognising the challenges women face globally and how they often bear the brunt of world events. Highlighting that is very important to me.”

Kensington Palace marks 150th birthday of suffragette Princess Sophia Duleep Singh

In March 2026 , Ken sington Palace wi ll o pen ‘The L ast Pri nces ses o f P un jab’, celebrating the 150th birthday of Pri nces s an d su ffragette Sophia Duleep Singh, Queen Victoria’s g odd aug hter The exhibition highlights Sophia and the women who shaped her, her sisters Catherine and Bam ba, m other Bamba Mull er, gran dm other Jin d Kaur, and godmother Queen Vic toria, sh owc as in g ho w each expressed womanhood, power, and royalty

The exhibition The Last Princesses of Punjab at Kensington Palace, opening 26 March 2026, celebrates Princess Sophia Duleep Singh’s 150th birthday and her family’s remarkable legacy. It highlights Sophia’s suffrage activism with items like an original copy of The Suffragette, her 1911 census record reading “No Vote, No Census,” and a 1930 photo of her and sister Catherine at a suffrage dinner.

The display also explores the women who shaped her. Princess Sophia Duleep Singh’s grandmother, Jind Kaur, was a defiant Maharani and regent of the Sikh Empire, imprisoned after the Anglo-Sikh Wars and separated from her son Duleep Singh for thirteen years. The exhibition features her emerald and seed pearl necklace and a makara-head gold bangle gifted to Bamba Muller, Duleep Singh’s wife. Bamba, born to a German banker and an enslaved Ethiopian woman, faced challenges adapting to life in England, revealed in a bilingual letter she wrote before her death in 1886.

Sophia and her sisters, Catherine and Bamba, grew up in British aristocracy while embracing activism and resistance. Catherine aided Jewish refugees during WWII and is an LGBTQ+ South Asian icon, with letters to Sophia showing her personal life with companion Lina Schaeffer. Princess Bamba Sutherland returned to Lahore in the 1940s, preserving her family’s heritage; dupattas worn in Norfolk and Lahore are displayed to showcase her legacy. The exhibition includes voices of British South Asian women today, with community contributions like a mother-daughter film reflecting on identity, expression, and the lasting impact of empire. Polly Putnam, Curator, said Kensington Palace is a fitting space to tell these stories, displaying objects from the women’s lives alongside contemporary responses. Mishka Sinha, Exhibition Historian, added that the exhibition celebrates Sophia Duleep Singh’s 150th birthday, highlighting powerful women across generations to inspire and move visitors.

MIDLANDS/NORTH

Fake travel site scams £2500 out of Leicestershire pensioners

Subhasini Naicker

In a shocking online scamming incident, an elderly couple from Lei ces ter has lost over £2,500 on a trip they had been planning for eight years

Dinesh, 80, and Shashikala Jansari, 78, thought they were booking their two-month visit to relatives in Gujarat (India), through Expedia, but were redirected to a fake site and ended up communicating with scammers via WhatsApp under the name Fly Expedia

The fraudsters suggested a direct bank transfer, bypassing credit card protections The couple only realised they had been scammed when they arrived at Heathrow Airport They now warn others to stay vigilant online and seek help if unsure

to share their experience with the community “Scammers target older people like us, so it’s important to involve younger family members and double-check everything online We eventually rebooked through a legitimate travel agent and went to India a week later, staying there for eight weeks I just want people to be careful and aware ”

Murder accused ‘deliberately crashed’ before fatal attack

The man accused of murdering Nila Patel af ter overturning his BMW ne ar Lei c es ter Roy al Infirmary may have intentionally caused the crash, a jury has heard

At Leicester Crown Court, forensic collision investigator Pc Dan Jarvis said CCTV footage indicated Chukwuemeka Ahanonu, 25, appeared to be attempting to avoid a lamppost and railings on a traffic island near the Leicester Tigers stadium shortly before the fatal incident

Speaking to Asian Voice, Shashikala described their experience: “We were really shocked It was a very cold day, and my husband and I are 80 and 78 We live in Leicester, and our son had dropped us at Heathrow because my husband usually books tickets, but this time he tried online The scammers from Fly Expedia sounded so convincing that my husband went ahead and booked through them When we reached the check-in, we realised what had happened, the girl at the counter said our tickets were fake, we were stunned My husband didn’t say much, but I could see how stressed he was I didn’t know what to do or say ”

She continued, “Even after we realised we had been scammed, we asked if any seats were available They said yes, but at £5,000 per ticket, £10,000 for both, which we refused We contacted our son, who had reached Melton Mowbray, and he came back to fetch us My husband hadn’t even had tea or coffee, and he was shaking Our son said, ‘calm down It’s not the end of the world ’ We tried to stay calm, had tea at the service station, and eventually came back to Leicester Once home, we reported the incident to the police and our bank, and they directed us to Action Fraud They listened to our story, confirmed the company had scammed others, and took our complaint But the money was already gone ” But Shashikala did not want to hide what they had endured In an effort to warn and educate others like themselves, she came forward

She specifically emphasised on the importance of involving younger family members during booking online and said, “People of our age should get help from youngsters and always use a reputable travel agent Always pay with a credit card, never a bank transfer I want to warn others like me because this was such a shock Scammers are everywhere; they will keep trying, so people need to be extremely careful ” However, she shared her disappointment with the bank and hoped that more could be done to help people especially pensioners in such circumstances “We initially thought we might get the money back”, Shashikala said “We hoped the bank or someone could help, but when we returned home from India, the bank told us that because it was a direct money transfer, they couldn’t do anything It was a real shock for us, especially as for pensioners, £2,500 is a lot of money! We would still love to get our money back, but I don’t know how to do so ”

Leicestershire police refers itself to watchdog over Bhim Kohli killing

Leicestershire Police has referred itself to the policing watchdog for a f re sh i nve st i gati on af te r a Le ic es ters hi reLi ve pr obe un covered a catalogue of failings linked to the death of 80-year-old grandfather Bhim Kohli

Mr Kohli, from Braunstone Town, had been repeatedly targeted by youths in his neighbourhood before he was kicked and punched in Franklin Park in September 2024 He died in hospital the following day

The new inquiry follows revelations that officers failed to properly identify Mr Kohli as a repeat victim, did not link related incidents, recorded racial incidents as harassment rather than hate crimes, and ignored a mandatory system designed to flag vulnerability, leaving him effectively invisible to police before the fatal attack

After the investigation was published, Mr Kohli’s daughter, Susan, lodged a formal complaint with the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), submitting the findings directly to the watch-

dog The IOPC referred the complaint back to Leicestershire Police, which then voluntarily referred itself to the watchdog

The IOPC subsequently ruled that the force could carry out the fresh investigation itself

The renewed probe is intended to fully examine concerns that extend beyond the scope of the previous review Susan welcomed the develop-

ment “I’m happy that it’s happening because it’s finally being brought to the forefront and properly looked at,” she said “I don’t personally feel it was examined thoroughly enough before

“I’m hoping this fresh pair of eyes will make them sit up, listen to what we have been saying all along, and see what everybody else sees ”

For months, Leicestershire Police maintained there had been no missed opportunities prior to Kohli’s death Challenging that assertion, Susan said: “When we report crime, you sit on it and do nothing, and then say there were ‘ no missed opportunities’

“There were clear missed opportunities, but they chose to ignore the signs You cannot expect the public to take accountability when you do not ”

Responding to the decision allowing the force to investigate itself, Susan said she remained hopeful the fresh probe would deliver change and insisted her fight for justice is “not done”

Man accused of taking axe into Mosque

A 55-year-old man has appeared in

M anc he st er m os q ue dur in g Ramadan prayers carrying multiple weapons Darren Connor was arrested on 24 February after attending Manchester Central Mosque in Rusholme while around 1,500 worshippers were gathered for

taraweeh prayers Mosque officials alerted police after an axe was reportedly spotted in his bag

Greater Manchester Police said two men were detained, but a second suspect will face no further action

Connor, of Gorton Road, Stockport, appeared at Manchester Magistrates’ Court, where prose-

cutors alleged he was carrying an axe, hammer, Stanley knife, zip ties and a balaclava Connor denied possessing an offensive weapon without lawful excuse but admitted cannabis possession

The case was sent to Manchester Crown Court, and he was remanded in custody until 3 April

However, defence barrister Paul Raudnitz KC suggested Ahanonu may have deliberately driven at the lamppost The court previously heard that after his arrest Ahanonu told a mental health professional he wanted to die and had intentionally crashed the car

Footage showed an earlier collision damaging the BMW’s front left wheel before it travelled the wrong way along Aylestone Road, crossed traffic and struck lights and railings Pc Jarvis said the right wheel seemed to turn to avoid impact, but accepted he could not exclude intent

Ahanonu admits manslaughter but denies murder on grounds of diminished responsibility The trial continues

Mother, daughter set on fire in gang revenge attack

Ten men face imprisonment after a mother and daughter suffered se ver e bur ns i n a pe trol -b omb att ac k on thei r Stok e- on- Tre nt home

burns to her right arm and leg

On December 16, 2021, a 31year-old woman and her 13-yearold daughter were forced to jump from an upstairs window to escape the flames after their house on Beverley Drive, Bentilee, was deliberately set alight

The mother, also struck on the head during the attack, suffered burns covering 65% of her body and remained in a coma for two months She survived but continues to endure life-changing injuries requiring ongoing treatment Her daughter sustained 15%

Following an 11-week trial at Nottingham Crown Court, ten men were convicted in connection with the attack Shakil Uddin, 23, was found guilty of attempted murder and arson with intent Lukman Khan, 24, and Riyadh Iqbal, 23, were convicted of grievous bodily harm with intent and arson

Other defendants, including Muhammad Sufyaan-Shah, Tayyeb Majeed, Ali Abbas, and Haris Mahmood, faced convictions or admitted charges ranging from violent disorder to attempted murder All ten men remain in custody, with sentencing dates yet to be scheduled

Snapchat grooming leads to nine-year sentence

A former pharmacy man age r, Shahzad Hussain, 27, has been sentenced as a dangerous offender to an extended nineyear term for sexually abusing an underage girl he groomed on Snapchat Bradford Crown Court heard Hussain, of Browsholme Street, Keighley, continued his abuse despite knowing the girl was underage He was convicted of six offences, including causing a child to engage in sexual activity and penetrative sexual activity with a child

Recorder Richard Paige jailed Hussain for seven years and added an extended licence period of two years, citing his high risk of serious harm to children Hussain had lied about his age, claiming he was 21, and the court heard a victim impact statement from the girl’s father describing the “devastating” effect on the family Hussain must serve at least two-thirds of his prison term before parole consideration, comply with a 15-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and register as a sex offender for life

Dear Financial Voice Reader,

Alpesh Patel Why Asian Families Think Differently – and Where We Still Go Wrong

There is a quiet strength in many Asian households that Britain rarely acknowledges We save We budget We sacrifice

First-generation migrants arrived with little institutional support and no inherited safety net Cash was protection Gold was portable security Property was permanence That instinct was not irrational - it was forged by currency crises, political instability and memories of confiscation or inflation If you lived through the 1970s in India or East Africa, capital preservation was not theory; it was survival

And yet In modern Britain, that same instinct - when left unexamined - quietly undermines wealth creation

The Saving Strength

Asian households consistently demonstrate higher savings discipline than the UK average The Office for National Statistics shows that the UK household saving ratio has oscillated between 3% and 10% in recent years, often dipping alarmingly low Many entrepreneurial Asian families, by contrast, routinely operate with double-digit savings rates

That discipline is gold Literally and metaphorically

But saving alone does not create financial independence Investing does

The Investing Gap

The data are blunt Over the long term, equities have outperformed cash and gold decisively Gold? Over very long periods, roughly in line with inflation, punctuated by dramatic but unpredictable spikes

Cash? A guaranteed loser after inflation and tax And yet many Asian families still hold disproportionate amounts of wealth in low-yielding cash, buy-to-let property with thin net yields, or jewellery that earns nothing

Why? Because volatility feels like danger Volatility Is Not Risk

This is where the misunderstanding sits Volatilityprices moving up and down - is not the same as risk

Warren Buffett has said repeatedly that “risk comes from not knowing what you are doing” He did not say risk comes from share prices falling The permanent loss of capital is risk

Selling during panic is risk Overpaying for assets is risk Failing to diversify is risk But a temporary 20% drawdown in a diversified portfolio of productive global companies? That is volatility And historically, it has been the price of admission for long-term wealth creation

The S&P 500 has suffered multiple 30-50% declines over the past century Yet the long-term upward trajectory remains intact Those who stayed invested were rewarded Those who retreated to cash often locked in losses and missed recoveries

The Cultural Tension Asian families tend to prioritise:

• Stability

• Reputation

• Tangible assets

• Visible security

Equities feel abstract Screens feel speculative Headlines feel frightening Property feels solid Gold feels ancestral Cash feels safe But inflation erodes cash quietly Regulation compresses property yields Concentration magnifies risk

Ironically, in trying to avoid visible volatility, we often embrace invisible erosion

Where We Still Go Wrong

1 Over-concentration in property

2 Excessive cash buffers far beyond emergency needs

3 Treating stock markets as trading arenas rather than ownership of businesses

4 Confusing short-term noise with long-term value

We excel at working hard We sometimes underperform at letting capital work

Intelligent Risk

• Intelligent risk means:

• Broad diversification across global equities

• Low costs

• Long time horizons

• Emotional discipline

It does not mean speculation It does not mean chasing tips It does not mean crypto mania It means accepting that discomfort is part of compounding The next generation of British Asians inherits not just capital but mindset If we combine our cultural savings discipline with evidence-based investing - rather than fear-driven capital preservation - the compounding effect over 20 or 30 years is transformative Saving built the foundation

Intelligent risk builds the future

Volatility is the noise

Permanent loss is the danger The distinction is everything

EG Group sells French forecourts to co-founder

Blackburn-based EG Group is set to sell around 260 French forecourts to EG On

The M ov e, the for ecourt oper ator foun ded b y c ofounder Zuber Issa in 2023

The transaction is part of EG Group’s ongoing strategy to refocus on the US market and reduce debt ahead of a planned IPO in the first half of 2026 The company, jointly owned by Zuber and Mohsin Issa alongside private equity firm TDR Capital, has recently exited markets including Australia and Italy, generating £530 million and €425 million respectively from those

sales The value of the French deal has not been disclosed

EG On The Move, which previously acquired UK sites from EG Group and 98 petrol stations from

Applegreen, entered a put option to buy the French sites The acquisition, expected to be completed by Q2 2026 pending regulatory approval and employee consultation, marks the

company ’ s first expansion outside the UK, taking its total sites to over 650 Issa aims to replicate EG Group’s successful formula of combining on-site convenience stores with brands such as Starbucks and Subway to attract motorists The business currently generates annual EBITDA of over £100 million, with a target to reach £500 million Issa retains a 25% stake and a board seat at EG Group after stepping down as co-CEO in 2024, and has previously indicated he favors a sale of the US business rather than an IPO

British Asian-led Sandea Wholesale celebrates double win at SME London Business Awards 2026

Sandea Wholesale, London, UK, a Br it is h As i an- l ed wholesale and distributi on bus in es s , ha s ac hi ev ed nati ona l re cogn iti on aft er win ni ng tw o pre s ti gi ous awards at the SME London Business Awards 2026

The company was named Gold Winner for International Business of the Year and also received the Silver Award for Exporter of the Year, recognising its strong global growth and excellence in international trade

Speaking on the achievement, Sanjeet Manek, Director of Sandea

Wholesale, said, “This recognition is a proud moment for our entire team These awards reflect the hard work, resilience, and shared values that have shaped our journey As a

Stockport agency celebrates four national award nominations

Stockport-based digital and marketing agency Cleartwo is celebrating after securing four n omin at io ns a t The Na tion al Digita l A wa rds, which r ecog nise outstan ding digital t ale nt across the UK

Co-owner Satnam Singh received special attention, being shortlisted for Best Agency Ops Director of the Year Cleartwo was also nominated for Best Use of AI, Best Use of Video and Animation, and Best SEO Agency

Satnam said: “Four nominations Somehow, Best Agency Ops Director of the Year still not sure that wasn’t a typo! But this recognition means everything Behind every nomination is a team of over 100 people who work incredibly hard, care deeply

about what they do, and still try to hide in corners when I tell them to go home at 5pm Being shortlisted is an honour, but the real reward is knowing the work we do every day is being noticed ” He added with a laugh that he now needs to check that no one is still in the office

British Asian-led business, it’s especially meaningful to see our efforts acknowledged on a platform that celebrates enterprise and ambition ” Sandea Wholesale has

steadily expanded its international presence while remaining rooted in community values, trust, and long-term partnerships The company ’ s success highlights the growing contribution of British Asian entrepreneurs to the UK economy and global markets

The SME London Business Awards celebrate outstanding small and medium-sized enterprises across the capital, supported by leading organisations including HSBC UK and the London Chamber of Commerce

Middle-class parents becoming “invisible welfare state,” says Milburn

Midd le -cl a ss pa re n t s ar e effe ctiv e ly act in g a s a n “invisible welfare state” for young adults, according to Al a n Mil bur n, S ir Ke ir Starmer’s work tsar

The former health secretary warned that young people living at home rent-free are less likely to find employment and are increasingly reliant on their parents Milburn, leading a government review of youth unemployment, said a “whole generation” is stuck at home, dependent on family support while grappling with mental health challenges

Nearly one million young people are currently not in employment, education, or training (NEETs), while youth unemployment in Britain

has risen above continental European levels for the first time in over a decade Rising rates of anxiety and depression are a major factor, with young people with mental health conditions nearly five times more likely to be economically inactive than peers Milburn said parents are “financing adult children and absorbing their mental health crises,” with many young people unable to secure jobs despite applying widely Critics point to Labour policies, including the employment rights bill and a higher minimum wage, as discouraging firms from hiring Milburn concluded, “It’s not by choice but necessity that so many end up staying in the House of Mum and Dad ”

Reeves must prioritise growth over green regulation, Sunak warns

Rishi Sunak has urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to use her spring statement to focus on boosting UK growth, warning tha t e xcessive reg ulat ion, part icular ly en vir onm en ta l r ules, is stifli ng development

In a column for the Sunday Times, Sunak praised Reeves for avoiding the speculation that has hindered previous fiscal events, but said she must be bolder than “doing no harm ”

Sunak argued that controlling unproductive public spending and cutting taxes is politically constrained, leaving deregulation as the key lever for stimulating investment He stressed that this will require difficult trade-offs, including balancing environmental protection with development, and called for public consent for tougher reforms Highlighting the housing crisis, Sunak said 2025 could be the worst year for

housebuilding in over a decade due to bureaucratic and environmental barriers He warned Labour MPs that economic growth is essential for the party’s future electoral prospects and that piecemeal deregulation would fail without a clear, ambitious strategy The former prime minister concluded that Reeves must act decisively, resisting pressures to “lean green, ” to unlock innovation, competitiveness, and sustainable growth

AFRICA

Lohana Mahajan Nakuru celebrates pre-Holi festivities

A vibrant pre-Holi celebration was organised by Lohana Mahajan Nakuru on 27th February 2026, bringing together members of the community in a spirit of joy, unity and festive warmth

A key highlight of the event was a specially designed quiz that engaged participants of all ages More than just a celebration, the gathering aimed to strengthen community bonds, with elders, youngsters, and children taking part enthusiastically, making it a truly inclusive occasion

Lions Club donation brings vision, hope

In a heartfelt gesture, the late Ashok Patel’s corneas were donated to restore sight to those in need With the family’s consent, the Lions Club of Nakuru coordinated with specialists from Lions Loresho Eye Hospital in Nairobi to perform the procedure Thanks to modern medical advances, his donation has given vision to four individuals, bringing them renewed hope

The Lions community continues to encourage eye donation, with dedicated volunteers Lion Dr Haria, Lion Mishaal, Lion Arun and Lion Shailesh guiding families so that a loved one ’ s legacy can live on through the gift of sight

Naivasha marks eco-friendly Holika Dahan

The community came together at the Naivasha Hindu Temple, Kenya, for Holika Dahan on 2 March 2026, led by Tejas Maharaj and dedicated volunteers

Despite being a small town, Naivasha united in prayer and celebration In a mindful effort to protect the environment, the bonfire was kept modest, sending a simple yet powerful message: save trees, go green The event took place on 2nd March 2026

Padma Viswanathan longlisted for International Booker 2026

Canadian-American writer of Indian he rit age, Pad ma Vi swan athan, was n ame d on the 2 02 6 I nt ern at ion al Booker Prize longlist

She is recognised for her English translation of Brazilian author Ana Paula Maia’s novel, “On Earth As It Is Beneath”, published by Edinburgh-

b a s e d C h a

, 2025

Set in a remote penal colony built

haunting Portuguese-language novel follows a warden who initiates a ritualised full-moon hunt of prisoners Viswanathan is one of thirteen contenders for the £50,000 prize, which is split equally between author and translator to celebrate the vital role of translation in global literature

The 2026 judging panel, chaired by Natasha Brown and including Indian author Nilanjana S Roy, selected the “Booker dozen” from 128 submissions representing 34 languages Viswanathan, a 58-year-old Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Arkansas, is already a decorated novelist, having been a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize The 2026 competition will be whittled down to a shortlist of six books on March 31, with the final winner to be announced at London’s Tate Modern on May 19

Canadian

in brief UN CLEARS FIRST CARBON CREDIT PROJECT

The United Nations has approved the first carbon credits under a new global market created by the Paris climate accord to help reduce emissions The UN s new carbon market allows countries and companies to offset excess emissions by funding climate-friendly projects abroad, though critics caution it could lead to greenwashing if poorly regulated The first credits come from a Myanmar project distributing efficient cookstoves to cut air pollution and deforestation, implemented with a South Korean partner and counting toward both nations climate goals

WARNER BROS CONFIRMS $110 BILLION DEAL WITH PARAMOUNT

Warner Bros Discovery (WBD O) has agreed to a $110 billion acquisition by Paramount Skydance (PSKY O) following Netflix’s decision not to match Paramount’s $31-per-share offer which topped Netflix’s $27 75 bid Bruce Campbell WBD’s chief revenue and strategy officer confirmed the deal in a townhall audio reviewed by Reuters Paramount shares rose 24% and Netflix 13% after the $110B Warner Bros acquisition, creating one of Hollywood s largest studios with $29B debt and access to franchises like Fantastic Beasts and The Matrix The deal could merge HBO Max and Paramount+ to challenge Netflix Led by David Ellison, Paramount raised the termination fee to $7 billion and paid Warner’s $2 8 billion fee to Netflix

OPENAI ENGINEER QUITS, CITES AI FEARS

Indian-American student among Austin shooting

Russ Finney, Assistant Professor at the McCombs School of Business, ex pre ss ed dee p s orrow over the death of Indian-American student Savitha Shan, who was killed in a shooting outside a bar in Austin Shan, 21, was one of two victims; 19-year-old Ryder Harrington was also killed Fourteen others were injured, and the gunman died in an exchange of fire with police

In a post on X, Finney described Shan as a “superstar” student at the University of Texas at Austin, set to

starting her career She was later confirmed as

UT Austin student, while Harrington attended Texas Tech University

investigation, citing possible terrorism indicators, though officials say the motive remains unclear The suspect, 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, a Senegal-born naturalised US citizen, is believed to have acted alone

Police said the shooting occurred at Buford’s beer garden in

continuing on foot He was fatally shot by officers, and multiple weapons were recovered Authorities are also examining possible extremist or foreign links

newspaper links Indian intelligence to Nijjar assassination

E xpl osive cl aim s ha ve em er ge d in ‘The Globe and Mail’, alleging that an Indian intelligence officer coordinated the 2023 killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar

sources, identifies a visa officer at the Indian consulate in Vancouver as an undercover operative for the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)

d

intelligence on Nijjar by monitoring the local diaspora These revelations emerged exactly as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in New Delhi for a high-

intended to repair a diplomatic relationship that has been fractured for nearly three years

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen and Khalistan Tiger Force leader, was shot outside a Surrey gurdwara on June 18, 2023

The rapid pace of artificial intelligence development is taking a toll on those building it After Anthropic safety lead Mrinank Sharma stepped away from the industry, OpenAI engineer Hieu Pham has now announced his departure, saying he is moving to Vietnam with his family to “heal” and focus on his health Hieu Pham, a former engineer at xAI and Google Brain, said his time at OpenAI was a “once-in-a-lifetime experience” but the intense workload left him burnt out describing the mental health strain as “real, miserable, scary and dangerous ” Weeks earlier, he had warned that AI poses an existential threat that could disrupt society and diminish the human role

PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN TENSIONS ESCALATE

Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have escalated after Taliban forces reportedly launched drone strikes on Pakistan s Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi previously targeted by India during Operation Sindoor The attacks threaten ongoing reconstruction from the May 2025 India-Pakistan conflict Taliban strikes also hit Quetta’s 12th Division headquarters, Khwazai Camp, and other Pakistani sites, while a Pakistani fighter jet was reportedly shot down near Jalalabad, with the pilot captured Last week Pakistan struck Kabul and Kandahar claiming 133 Taliban fighters killed In retaliation, Taliban forces said at least 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed

PAKISTANI JUDGE LINKED TO IMRAN KHAN RELIEF OUSTED

While four Indian nationals face first-degree murder charges, new allegations point to possible state involvement via a diplomat and consular staff Despite these tensions, Carney and Modi announced a $2 6 billion uranium deal and set

$50 billion bilateral

The Islamabad High Court has removed senior judge Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, declaring his appointment invalid over an unlawful law degree Dawn reported In a 116-page ruling, a bench led by Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar said his LLB degree was void from the outset, making his elevation to the court illegal The court citing University of Karachi records found serious academic irregularities including Jahangiri using a fake enrolment number in 1988 and reappearing under a different identity after a ban It noted that a university issues only one enrolment number per program and ruled his degree invalid stating a fake qualification cannot be legally rectified

Continued from page 1

British Asians stranded amid travel chaos

Negotiations vs retaliations

As Asian Voice went to print, the Iranian Red Crescent reported at least 787 deaths from USIsrael strikes

Countries responded differently: Canada and Australia supported the attacks, while Russia, China, and Spain criticised them, and India called for dialogue UK PM Keir Starmer, French President Macron, and German Chancellor Merz urged renewed talks on Iran’s nuclear programme and offered help to prevent further strikes Less than two weeks after his first Board of Peace meeting, President Trump launched the strike, expected to last “four to five weeks ” Security remains tight in the US, UK, and India Supporters mourned in North London and Indian cities, while millions protested in Tehran and other Iranian cities Elsewhere, solidarity rallies were reported across the Middle East, including Baghdad In Pakistan, protests turned violent as demonstrators clashed with security forces, stormed diplomatic sites, and set fire to offices, leaving dozens dead and many injured Supporting customers amid Middle East disruptions

Stranded travellers, grappling with uncertainty and limited government help, have encountered difficult circumstances Travel agents have stepped forward, aiding, helping manage disrupted itineraries, and offering guidance UAE and Qatar have also come forward to cover hotel and meal costs for those stranded in their countries during Iran attacks

Asian Voice spoke to several experts, who assured they are working diligently to support customers through the turmoil

Hitesh Me hta, D ir ect or of Citib on d Travel , commented, “Given the recent developments in the Middle East, we ’ re monitoring the situation closely and assisting travellers whose plans are affected Their safety and peace of mind are our highest priority With airspace closures continuing to create unpredictability, our teams are working around the clock to ensure travel arrangements run smoothly Our five decades of industry experience and strong relationships with airlines and hotels enable us to safeguard travellers’ interests effectively ”

He added, “We advise travellers to contact us before making any changes, as airline schedules and policies are frequently updated Ensure we have your correct contact details, and avoid independent cancellations, official airline waivers often provide better options Our experience navigating major global disruptions, from the 2010 Ash Cloud to the Covid-19 crisis, means we are well prepared to support travellers in real time as the situation develops ”

Many travellers heading to Dubai for holidays, work, or transit were left stranded as tensions escalated in the Middle East Several countries have since stepped in to evacuate their citizens, and many have now returned home Among them was Indian badminton ace PV Sindhu, who safely arrived back in Bengaluru after a tense few days in Dubai She shared on social media that she and her support staff, including Indonesian coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama, were stranded and even experienced a close call when an explosion occurred near their accommodation

However, many others remain in Dubai, waiting for flights to resume and assistance from UK governments Asian Voice spoke to some of those still there, who shared their experiences with us

Vishal Lad wa, C o-founder and C EO of Unnd oo, was on his first full holiday celebrating his wife’s 35th birthday when tensions escalated “We booked a holiday to celebrate my wife's 35th birthday I initially thought ‘ wow that’s big news ’ , but in the selfish bubble of a holiday, you put it to the back of your mind,” he said

He explained that on Saturday the 28th, they received an emergency alert, prompting everyone to return to their hotel rooms “From here, we started to hear the bombs there was just a lot of confusion,” he said, adding that although missiles were intercepted daily, the explosions were mostly distant “Last night was the worst, with continuous sounds of bombings at 2am, with our windows shaking ”

Praising the local authorities, Vishal said, “The UAE government has been great and will cover our costs while we are stuck here, which has been a relief ” He noted that life in Abu Dhabi has largely continued as normal, with hotel staff keeping things calm However, he added that after registering with the FCDO, “all we have received is an empty message No real communication, no real plan ”

He stressed that the situation in Abu Dhabi appears far less severe than media images suggest and urged family and friends to “trust the efficiency, diligence and care that the UAE government has shown so far ”

Form er MP Keith Vaz, who is currently in UAE, said he was returning from India after meetings related to his diabetes charity when the crisis unfolded “I was coming back from India with a stopover in Dubai because we had meetings on tackling the high levels of diabetes,” he explained “Then the Israelis and Americans attacked Iran, which led to the shutdown of flights Emirates has stopped services, the airspace was closed, and we basically don’t have a flight back to the UK ”

He noted that some travellers have managed to leave via Oman, and that limited flights have now resumed “The airspace is open in a limited way, and I know some people have arrived on private aircraft,” he said, adding that he hopes regular flights will restart soon

Jaymin Bork ha tria, Chief Commercial Officer a t Southa ll Tra vel Ltd, said, “For passengers yet to travel, changes or refunds are allowed where policies cover affected dates, as airspace closures impact Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq, and Iran Postponing travel may often be the most practical option For those already overseas, some airlines like Emirates and Qatar Airways are rebooking tickets on alternative carriers where possible, though availability is limited due to the backlog We advise travellers to monitor airline websites, follow FCDO travel advice, stay in contact with their providers, and allow extra time for rebooking ” Ma naging Director of Brightsun Tra vel, Dee pa k Nang la added, “The US-Israel-Iran conflict has disrupted global air travel, with our support teams handling double the usual call volume in 72 hours Requests for guidance, rerouting, and refunds have risen 250% Our priority is passenger safety; we follow FCDO advisories, assist with refunds or alternative travel, and provide updates via our website, chat, and WhatsApp We remain committed to supporting all passengers until they reach their destinations safely ” Joel y Charl otte Ga rla nd, Hea d of Mark eting at Tr avel pack, said, “Our crisis team is managing disruptions by processing bookings in departure-date order to secure alternative routes and repatriation flights For imminent departures, we are handling cancellations and re-accommodations, working closely with airlines to obtain refunds or alternatives We advise passengers to stay calm, follow local authority guidance, and await direct contact from travel providers Those travelling in the coming weeks should be patient while we prioritise those in immediate need ”

Ujjwa l Sehgal , Mana gin g Director of Skylord Tr avel Plc, said, “The current situation has caused major disruptions for passengers travelling to, from, or transiting through the Middle East Our priority is supporting customers and sub-agents with timely guidance as airlines adjust schedules We assist with rebooking where alternatives exist and process refunds per airline policies

“Our team is working extended hours to manage enquiries and ensure travellers understand their options Passengers should regularly check airline websites, as flight updates may appear there before agents are notified Those in countries with closed airports should follow local embassy and government guidance While travel agents are doing all they can, we urge governments to support repatriation efforts where commercial options are unavailable ”

Conservative MP for Witham and Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel highlighted the situation in Iran in an Instagram post, calling it “This could be a hugely consequential moment for the entire Middle East Britain cannot sit on the fence We must also protect our military personnel and assets in the region, British nationals, and support our allies in the Gulf who are now being attacked The murderous, terror-supporting regime in Tehran should have nobody's sympathies at this time President Trump is right that this disgraceful regime poses an intolerable threat, from their nuclear programme to their ballistic missiles and hostile interference We know what they plot on our own soil And they have murdered a generation of freedom seekers in Iran in recent weeks We must now work with our allies intensively and ensure our national interest and national security is front and centre ”

While the British government has asked citizens to register, Vaz said, “Apart from registering our names, there’s little evidence that anything is being done ” He pointed out that around 76,000 people have signed up for assistance and urged the UK to take stronger action, especially for those in urgent need

Praising the UAE authorities, he said, “The government of the UAE has been extraordinarily generous They are going to pay for accommodation and food for travellers waiting for flights ” He added that daily life remains calm, with people acting cautiously “My message is: stay calm and carry on ”

Maitri Jain, who is also currently in Dubai, said she first learned of the attack on the morning of 28 February 2026 “At that moment, I didn’t fully grasp the potential consequences, but by late afternoon reports of possible threats to the UAE and neighbouring GCC countries began circulating,” she said, adding that she then started closely monitoring social media and news updates

She praised the UAE authorities, saying, “The defence and interior authorities have taken strong precautionary measures to ensure everyone ’ s safety ” According to her, the government has issued timely alerts and clear guidelines on essential supplies and emergency procedures

“Despite hearing occasional interceptions and jet activity, daily life remains stable, food, healthcare, transportation and other services continue normally,” she added

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei killed in joint US-Israel strike

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been killed in a joint US-Israeli strike, confirmed by Iranian state media Satellite images showed damage to his Tehran compound

US President Donald Trump called the strike “justice for the people of Iran and all great Americans,” saying other leaders were also killed and warning further precise attacks could follow

Khamenei’s death, initially denied, was later confirmed in a televised address announcing 40 days of mourning, with Ayatollah Alireza Arafi appointed to the interim Leadership Council

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has no direct Indian ancestry, but his clerical lineage traces back to Kintoor in Uttar Pradesh His grandfather, Syed Ahmad Musavi Hindi, migrated from Kintoor to Iran in the early 19th century, establishing the family line that later shaped post-revolution Iran

Modi reaffirms India’s peace stand

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed India’s commitment to peace and stability, emphasising that disputes should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy He stressed the safety of Indian citizens amid the Middle East crisis, following talks with Canadian PM Mark Carney

Modi chaired a Cabinet Committee on Security and held calls with leaders from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Jordan, condemning attacks and thanking them for protecting Indians India is also preparing for possible fuel shortages, considering export limits, increased Russian crude imports, and LPG rationing due to Strait of Hormuz disruptions

Warrant issued for Indian-origin man for murder

P eel Reg io nal Po li ce h av e

i n it ia te d a nat i o nw i d e m anhunt across C anad a for 2 9 - yea r- o ld M a np re et S ing h, an Ind ian-orig in man

i d e nt if i ed a s th e p ri m e

s u s p ec t i n a fat al h o m e invasion th at took place in Bram pton last A ugust

According to investigators, two armed suspects forced their way into a residence on Bayhampton Drive, near Castlemore Road, at approximately 8:40 p m and opened fire on two occupants One man was tragically pronounced dead at the scene, while a second victim survived after being

treated at a trauma centre for gunshot wounds

Following the targeted attack, the suspects were seen fleeing the area in a vehicle

While 24-year-old Dilpreet Singh, the first suspect for the invasion, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in October 2025, Manpreet Singh remains at large He is described as 5 feet 10 inches tall with a medium build, a full beard, and a distinctive tattoo on his right forearm reading "Manna (heart symbol) Sukh " Police have officially classified him as "armed and dangerous,"

urging the public to call 911 immediately if he is spotted

This case has drawn significant attention as neighbours previously reported criminal activity at the same address, including a prior vehicle arson

Four Indian-American researchers named 2026 Sloan Fellows

20 26 Sloan Research F ellow

f N o rth

A merica’s most p restigio us

e arl y- c are er r es ear ch

h ono urs

Aayush Jain, Arun Kumar Kuchibhotla, and Aditi Raghunathan from Carnegie Mellon University, alongside Anand Natarajan from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, were each awarded a twoyear, $75,000 fellowship

These awards, granted by the Alfred P Sloan Foundation, recognise 126 outstanding scholars across the United States and

Canada who show exceptional potential to become the next generation of scientific leaders The funding is uniquely flexible, allowing these researchers to pursue transformative, high-risk projects in fundamental science that traditional grants might not yet support

The 2026 cohort represents the cutting edge of modern technology

Aayush Jain is pioneering mathematical foundations for post-quantum cryptography, while Aditi Raghunathan leads the AI Reliability Lab to build safer, more dependable artificial

911 call released in Florida child death case

M o n t hs a ft e r a n I n di a n -

o ri gin doct or wa s cha rg e d

w i t h dr o w n in g h e r f ou ry ear-old daughter at a shor tt er m r ent al in Fl orida , US a ut horities ha ve rele ased her 911 ca ll from June 2025

Investigators allege that Dr Neha Gupta, a 37-year-old paediatrician from Oklahoma, staged the call to cover up the child’s death

According to the MiamiDade Sheriff’s Office, Dr Neha Gupta claimed her four-year-old daughter, Aria Talathi, accidentally fell into a pool while they were

visiting Miami In the 911 call, she said the child was at the bottom of the pool and not moving, adding that she could not swim and that they were alone Despite being urged to pull her out, Gupta repeatedly asked when paramedics would arrive Officers later recovered the girl, and Gupta estimated she had been in the pool for about 20 minutes

An autopsy found no water in the child’s lungs or stomach, indicating she was dead before being placed in the pool, and investigators

intelligence Arun Kumar Kuchibhotla is developing honest statistical procedures for highdimensional data, and Anand Natarajan is exploring the complex computational limits of quantum systems Since the programme's inception in 1955, Sloan Fellows have frequently ascended to the highest levels of academia, with 59 former recipients eventually winning Nobel Prizes This latest recognition underscores the significant and growing influence of the Indian diaspora within the global scientific community

suspect she was smothered Gupta was arrested and remains in jail without bond, though she maintains the death was accidental She is due in court in May The girl’s father, who was seeking full custody, said he was unaware she had been taken to Florida

Indian-origin manager charged over lottery theft

Rakesh Tanguturi, a

origin, was arrested

($3

000 ) in lottery scratch -o ff tickets

Tanguturi, who managed Bargain Stop Market II in the Little Haiti neighbourhood, faces felony charges of firstdegree grand theft and an organised scheme to defraud

The investigation was launched after the store owner discovered significant unauthorised withdrawals from the business bank account linked to Florida Lottery transactions in January Although Tanguturi initially denied the allegations, he later confessed via text message that he had been taking books of tickets to cash them in for personal expenses

The suspect claimed his actions were motivated by the urgent need to fund medical care for his father in India, who has since passed away While the total value of the stolen tickets exceeded $300,000, Tanguturi has reportedly reimbursed a substantial portion, leaving the store with a net loss of approximately £47,000 ($60,000)

A Florida Lottery investigator noted that the stolen books were unusually cashed in bulk at a single retailer, a key indicator of the fraud Tanguturi is currently held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with a £23,700 ($30,000) bond and an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer

Indian-origin Malaysian convicted of rape

An Indian-origin M alays ia n ma n, Shar ve en Chetty, 48, was s entenced in Singapore to 12 years in prison and 12 strokes of the ca ne f or r apin g a 3 5-y ea r -old In don es ia n dom e st ic worker outs ide Lit tle India M RT st ation Chetty had tricked the victim into believing he was a police officer He pleaded guilty on February 4 to one count of rape, while two other charges, a second rape and impersonating a police officer, were considered during sentencing Witnesses included a doctor who examined the victim and forensic scientists from the Health Sciences Authority Chetty initially contested the charges on February 3 but pleaded guilty the next day Justice Dedar Singh Gill noted the aggravating factor of targeting a foreign victim and rejected claims the attack was unplanned Chetty’s early plea spared the victim and witnesses from crossexamination The prosecution sought 11-13 years ’ jail and 12 cane strokes, citing his disguise and predatory behaviour, motivated by sexual attraction

North Texas jewellery stores raided over massive scam

F e d er al and s tat e l aw e nf o rc em en t o f f ic er s ra id ed M al an i J ew e ler s i n Richard so n as part of a crackd own o n a

£ 59 million ($74 5 m illion) gold scam targeting eld erly victims

During the morning operation, twenty SWAT officers detained thirteen employees and seized crates of gold allegedly linked to a sophisticated laundering network

Authorities simultaneously targeted businesses in Atlanta and Orlando, recovering over £40 million in assets This intervention follows similar raids in January at Tilak Jewelers in Irving and Saima Jewelers in Frisco, where millions in cash were discovered The "gold bar scam" involves fraudsters posing as

officials to trick seniors into purchasing gold and handing it to couriers, who then sell it to complicit jewellers

The investigation has led to twenty arrests and identified over 200 victims, including a Little Elm retiree who lost his entire £1 6 million savings before his death Scammers allegedly laundered the stolen bullion by melting it into bracelets for resale or smuggling In Collin County alone, losses have reached £10 million The Collin County Sheriff's Office task force continues working to recover funds for the victims while dismantling illegal melting operations that facilitate this international criminal enterprise

in brief FBI FIRES 10 AGENTS IN TRUMP DOCUMENTS PROBE

The FBI has dismissed around 10 employees involved in the investigation of Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents after his first term The terminations came shortly after FBI Director Kash Patel told Reuters that agents had subpoenaed his phone records while he was a private citizen along with those of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles Patel cited no wrongdoing by the fired staff The dismissed FBI agents had worked on Jack Smith s 2021 probes into the 2020 election and Mar-a-Lago documents The FBI Agents Association said the firings hurt expertise and trust Trump and two associates were indicted in 2023, but courts dismissed the cases by 2024 Since Trump’s return, the DOJ and FBI have removed employees tied to these investigations

NASA ADDS ARTEMIS TEST MISSION

NASA is adding an extra mission to its Artemis program before returning astronauts to the Moon Originally, Artemis II (scheduled for April) would orbit the Moon, followed by a 2028 lunar landing with Artemis III Artemis III will now send a crew to low-Earth orbit in 2027 to practice docking with a lunar lander, testing technology ahead of a Moon landing NASA says 2028 lunar missions with Artemis IV and V remain on track Artemis II delayed from March by a helium leak on the SLS rocket is under repair at Kennedy Space Centre with launch earliest in April

TWO WOMEN ARRESTED IN UGANDA OVER SAME-SEX ACT

Two women were arrested in Uganda after allegedly kissing in public, an act considered same-sex activity punishable by life imprisonment under the country s strict AntiHomosexuality Act Wendy Faith (22), a musician known as Torrero Bae, and 21-yearold Alesi Diana Denise were arrested in Arua City, Uganda, after police raided their rented room following reports of “queer and unusual acts ” It is unclear if formal charges will be filed Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act (May 2023) imposes life sentences for same-sex relations and the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality ” SMUG director Frank Mugisha condemned the arrests, noting 956 cases affecting 1,276 LGBTQ+ individuals since the law took effect

INDIA-BANGLADESH MAITREE BUS BACK ON TRACK

After an 18-month suspension the international Maitree bus service on the Agartala–Dhaka–Kolkata and Kolkata–Dhaka–Agartala routes has resumed, restoring a key cross-border link between India and Bangladesh The first Maitree bus departed from Kolkata travelled via Dhaka and reached the Akhaura Integrated Check Post in Agartala marking the service’s return Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhhury said the revival will boost tourism, trade and cultural exchange, benefiting the Northeast through improved connectivity Eighteen passengers travelled on the first day with officials calling the journey smooth Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka Pranay Verma described the resumption as a positive step reaffirming India’s commitment to strengthening historic ties and deepening cooperation with Bangladesh

India, Canada seal 10-year nuclear pact, reset ties

India and C anad a have unv eiled a series of agreements, including a 10 -year nuclear energ y pact, after their prime ministers m et in Delhi to rev iv e re la ti o ns s tra in ed by dip lom atic tensions

N

Carney advanced cooperation in

with both sides aiming to conclude a long-pending free trade agreement by end-2026 to reduce exposure to US tariffs

Ties had deteriorated under

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, leading to

suspensions Since taking office, Carney has sought to cautiously

Service continues to flag concerns about foreign interference

During talks in Delhi, Modi a n d C

rooted ties and shared ambitions, even as legal proceedings in the Nijjar case continue

Modi announced a landmark long-term uranium supply agreement, along with collaboration on

nuclear reactors He described the two nations as “natural partners”

pledging stronger cooperation in AI, supercomputing, semiconductors and renewable energy, including a joint summit Carney said Canada was well placed to support India’s growing energy demands and confirmed the launch of a strategic energy partnership He noted significant

progress in rebuilding ties, calling recent engagement between the two governments unprecedented in over two decades

Both leaders reiterated their commitment to boosting trade to

pending comprehensive economic partnership, with Carney expressing hope of sealing the deal by

renewed outreach as a pragmatic move amid shifting global dynamics, as both countries seek diversi-

ships

Engineers, MBA among embrace monkhood at BAPS Sarangpur

A sig nificant spi ritual milestone was m arked at S arangpu r, the forem ost pilg rim ag e centre o f Bochasanvasi A kshar

P u ru sh o ttam Sw am i nara yan S an sth a ( BA PS), as 29 h ighly ed ucated you ng m en em braced Parsh adi Diksha (initial step in the renu nciation process) with the blessings of His Holiness Mahant S wam i Maharaj

The group includes an MBA, three p o s t g r a d u a t e s , f i v e e n g i n e e r s , n i n e graduates, four diploma engineers and a lawyer Despite promising professional careers, they have chosen a life of spirituality, service and self-discipline

T h e V e d i c M a h a p u j a c o m m e n c e d a t dawn in Sarangpur, where His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj blessed the initiates with sacred garments Senior Sadguru saints presented them with kanthi, mala and turbans, formally welcoming them as parishads The ceremony also honoured the sacrifices of their parents, with fathers and mothers

felicitated separately

Following initiation, the 29 youths will undergo rigorous spiritual and academic training at the BAPS Saint Training Center in Sarangpur, studying scriptures of Sanatan Dharma, Sanskrit and modern management, as they prepare to dedicate their lives to building a value-based society

T h e f o u nd e r an d c h ai r m an o f Bh ar ti Enterprises, S unil Bharti M ittal, becam e the first Ind ian to receive the p restigio us GSM A L ifetim e A chiev em ent A ward

The honour was presented during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona in the presence of King Felipe VI of Spain and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez

The award recognises Mittal’s transformative impact on the global telecommunications landscape, specifically his role in building Bharti Airtel into a top-three global operator Since its founding, the company has expanded to serve over 500 million subscribers across India and 14 African nations, pioneering a low-cost, high-volume model that accelerated digital and financial inclu-

Under new education initiatives, the University of Toronto announced $100 million to fund up to 200 scholarships for Indian students, along with 13 new uni-

India through collaborations with

Institute of Technology Tirupati and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Tirupati,

as well as AI-focused Centres of Excellence by McGill University

An MoU was also signed to boost cooperation in creative indus-

Minister S Jaishankar to discuss

Mumbai, where he engaged business leaders to strengthen trade and investment ties

Mukesh and Nita Ambani hosts Canadian Prime Minister Mukesh Ambani and Nita Ambani hosted Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his wife Diana Fox Carney at their Mumbai residence, Antilia The visit featured classical dance and folk music performances celebrating India’s artistic heritage

The Carneys were also presented with a copy of the Bhagavad Gita as a gesture of goodwill In a post on X, Reliance Industries said the

reflected a shared appreciation for heritage, friendship and cultural exchange

PM Modi unveils major projects in Tamil Nadu

Prime M inister Narendra Modi said the centre’s collectiv e g oal is to build a develo ped Tamil Nad u as part of a d ev eloped Ind ia by 204 7, assu ring full supp ort for the state’s inclusiv e growth Speaking in Madurai after inaug urating and laying foundation stones for projects w orth o ver Rs 4,4 00 crore (£3 60 million) , he said the initiatives wo uld boost connectiv ity, create jobs and strength en the econom y N a r e n d r a M o d

Nadu’s rich heritage, announcing plans to develop sites such as Adichanallur into global heritage destinations and promote ecotourism around Pulicat Lake and Podhigai Hills, balancing jobs with conservation He said the centre has built over 4,000 km of highways in the state since 2014, while railway allocations have risen nearly ninefold-from Rs 880 crore (2009-14) to Rs 7,600

crore in 2026–27 Tamil Nadu has received nine Vande Bharat Express and nine Amrit Bharat Express trains, with coaches made in Chennai The 2026 Budget also proposes Bengaluru–Chennai

train corridors

Modi laid foundation stones for key highway projects, inaugurated eight redeveloped railway stations, d

Chennai Egmore fourth line, and launched new All India Radio FM

sion in emerging markets

The GSMA Lifetime Achievement Award is a rare distinction, reserved for leaders whose work has left a defining mark on the

served as GSMA Chairman from 2017 to 2018, described the award as a tribute to

During his keynote speech at MWC 2026, he urged global industry leaders to collaborate on finishing the mission of connecting the final 400 million unconnected people worldwide This recognition follows his previous GSMA Chairman’s Awards in 2008 and 2016, cementing his legacy as a global architect of mobile connectivity Sunil Mittal honoured with

Tata Grou p Ch airman N C handrasekaran announced a fresh inv estm ent of £

Minister Hemant Soren and Tata Steel CEO T V Narendran, Chandrasekaran detailed plans to pioneer advanced green steel technology at the Jamshedpur facility

aims to modernise steelmaking and reduce carbon emissions significantly Additionally, Tata Motors will invest in manufacturing hydrogen-powered trucks at its

Professor Lord Bhikhu Parekh

Thisyear we celebrated the 77th anniversary of our republic. Although some interesting ideas were canvassed, the major issues raised by the republic were left unexplored. Why, for example, does India have two days of celebration ? What is the difference between independence and republic ? Why are the two celebrated so differently? We call ourselves a democratic republic Why not the republic alone ? What does democracy add to it ?

Although India is a democracy, this does not fully describe what the authors of its Constitution had in mind The Congress resolution on the objectives of the constitution moved by Jawaharlal Nehru in the constituent assembly on 20 November 1946 included the word ‘republic’ but not ‘democracy’ When asked why, he replied that the former ‘included’ the latter His reply implied that the term republic was wider than and did not mean the same as democracy, but he did not spell out the difference After some weeks when the first draft of the Constitution was introduced, it included the word ‘democracy’ but dropped the word ‘republic’ Its final draft had both and declared India a ‘democratic republic’ For its authors, the country was meant to be not just a democracy but also a republic, and it has since the 1950s celebrated republic day separately from the independence day and given it a very different orientation This raises the question of what they meant by the two terms and why they did not think either enough The two terms are also translated by different words with different histories and meanings in vernacular languages (Prajasatta or ganarajya as different from lokshahi)

Many leading Indians from the midnineteenth century onwards were fascinated by and had written about the Indian and Western republics from their different perspectives The Republican Idea was particularly popular among the spokesmen of the Scheduled castes Jyotirao Phule, one of their ablest and earliest spokesmen, had read and was influenced by the Western republican

India : A Republic ?

writers including Thomas Paine's Rights of Man, and praised the Republican spirit of equality, love of liberty, and commitment to public well-being He attributed the success of post-Renaissance Europe to the rise of the republics, and the decline of India to the overthrow of the Buddhist republics by the Brahmanic monarchies Ambedkar took a broadly similar view and was particularly interested in the French and American republics He studied the latter closely during his years at Columbia University, wrote and lectured on the subject, and made a powerful case for making India a republic He admired the French revolution of 1789 and its ‘ republican’ and egalitarian spirit His Independent Labour Party (founded in 1931) was later called the Republican Party of India Although this happened after his death, he had already set the wheels in motion

Several mainstream liberal and socialist leaders too were great admirers of the

a superior class of people above them; and were the ultimate source of all political authority Ambedkar defined republicanism in terms of extensive social and economic equality and even equated it with some form of socialism that was needed to create and sustained that equality Following Machiavelli, Rousseau, Tocqueville, and other republican writers, he, Nehru, and others thought that the republican ethos of equality required that economic divisions in society should be considerably narrowed and the extremes at both ends abolished

Second, the Republic stood for the idea that the state was a ‘public’ institution As the drafting committee of which Ambedkar was the chairman put it, Republic means res publica, literally public property' The state was not the private property of its rulers but belonged to all its citizens It subjected power to institutional constraints, dealt with matters of common concern, its affairs were

republican form of government Jawaharlal Nehru wrote about the modern European republics in his Glimpses of World History, praising their great virtues such as civic courage, public spirit, egalitarian ethos, and love of freedom, and came close to equating republicanism with socialism J P Narayan, Lohia, Narendra Dev, M N Roy, and others shared his view

Although these and other advocates of the republic drew their inspiration from different sources and stressed its different features, they shared a broad consensus on what it meant and why it was important For them, it overlapped with but was not the same as democracy and referred to a political and social order characterised by four important features These were social and economic equality, the state as a public institution, an active and public-spirited citizenship , and separation of powers

First, the republic was based on and energised by the principle of equality Its citizens enjoyed equal dignity, respect, status, and opportunity; had no masters or

BJD picks Rajya Sabha candidates with Congress support

B i j u J ana ta Da l ( B J D) p r es id ent Nav een P atn ai k announced S antrupt M isra and Dr Dattesw ar Hota as the party’s nominees for the u p c o m i ng Raj y a S ab h a electio ns Misra, a former corporate executive and current political secretary, previously contested the 2024 Cuttack Lok Sabha seat In a surprising strategic shift, Patnaik projected Dr Hota, a renowned urologist and former principal of SCB Medical College as a "common candidate",

prompting an immediate endorsement from the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee This marks the first time the BJD and Congress have aligned to challenge the BJP’s dominance in the state

The election for four seats is scheduled for March

conducted publicly, in a participatory spirit, and it aimed at the common good rather than the interest of a particular group including the majority

Active public spirited citizenship and the virtues associated with it was the third defining feature of the Republic Its citizens regarded the state as theirs, identified with it, took ownership of it, made sacrifices for it, and exhibited such qualities as a love of Liberty, sense of social justice and patriotism They saw themselves not as members of particular religious, regional, or ethnic communities but as citizens or public persons sharing a common identity and committed to the well-being of their community In a democracy, citizens might use their political influence and power to promote their own or their group's narrow interests Such an attitude undermined the very spirit of the Republic

The separation of powers and the related idea of checks and balances was the fourth constitutive feature of the republic, stressed by some but not all Indian

republicans In a monarchy, political power was centralised and not subject to constitutional constraints Even in a democracy, the elected legislature could wield supreme power and treat the unelected judiciary as a subordinate organ of government By contrast, a republic had the system of checks and balances built into its very structure Both Nehru and Ambedkar approvingly referred to Montesquieu's doctrine of the separation of powers and laid particular stress on the independence of the judiciary the only reliable guardian of the liberties of individuals Article 50 of the Constitution explicitly enjoins the State to ‘take steps to separate the judiciary from the executive ’ Historically, the idea of the Republic has been closely associated with those of revolution and new beginning The language of the French revolution, especially the Trinity of Liberty , equality, and fraternity, was the guiding principles of a Republic For the authors of the Indian Constitution, a republic was acceptable only if it was built on a democratic foundation and guaranteed adult universal franchise

This is why they wanted India to be a democratic republic and frequently invoked the French Revolution, as the first in history to marry democracy and republic

Under the Constitution, India has a dual political identity: it is both a democracy and a republic, a democracy with a republican orientation and ethos, and a republic resting on a democratic foundation Democracy defines its form of government; republic the guiding principles of its political and social order Its democratic identity is evident in its electoral provisions, the chapter on fundamental rights, and so on; and the republican identity in the preamble, the emphasis on social equality and affirmative action, and the directive principles of state policy that are not merely aspirational but intended to guide governance To call India a democracy is to utter a half-truth; it largely stresses the elections and the basic individual rights, and obscures the country's commitment to such goals as social and economic equality, fraternity, and integrity of the public realm that its republican identity connotes It is both puzzling and unfortunate that the idea of the republic and all it stands for has virtually dropped out of view in independent India, and almost the entire political sphere is dominated by the discourse of democracy Judged as a democracy India’s score is high: as a republic it is woefully deficient A judicial integration of the two is vital to form a balanced judgement on India The qualities and commitments of the citizens of India also raise a few questions Few of them display the republican virtues mentioned earlier, and obviously a democratic mansion cannot be built on such poorly prepared bricks

Sunetra Pawar elected as new NCP chief

M aharashtra Dep uty C hief

Minister Sunetra Pawar w as unanimou sly elected as th

16 While the BJP’s 79 MLAs secure two seats, the BJD’s 50 and Congress’s 14 legislators create a combined strength of 64, well above the 30-vote threshold required for Dr Hota’s victory Congress president Bhakta Charan Das stated the alliance aims to prevent horse-trading by the BJP Final nominations are due by March 5, with observers watching if the BJP will field a third candidate to disrupt this new opposition unity

Nationalist C ong ress Party (NCP)

The decision was finalised during the party's national executive meeting in Mumbai, exactly four weeks after the sudden death of her husband, Ajit Pawar

The 66-year-old former party chief and Deputy CM tragically passed away on January 28, when his chartered Learjet 45 crashed during an emergency landing at Baramati airport Senior leader Praful Patel

proposed Sunetra s name, emphasising the need for unity and the continuation of Ajit Pawar’s political legacy In addition to her new leadership role, Sunetra Pawar was sworn in as Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister on 31 January 2026, making her the first woman to hold the post

The party also announced that her son, Parth Pawar, will contest the Rajya Sabha elections on March 16, filling the seat his mother vacated to join the state government Sunetra is also set to contest the

upcoming Baramati Assembly by-election to retain her cabinet position While investigations into the January plane crash continue, the NCP leadership transition signals a firm commitment to maintaining the family’s influence within the Mahayuti alliance

India and Israel elevate ties to strategic partnership Mandatory digital permits enforced for UK visitors

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Tel Aviv for a historic two-day state visit to Israel at the invitation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

During high-level talks in Jerusalem, the two leaders officially elevated their bilateral relationship to a "Special Strategic Partnership for Peace, Innovation and Prosperity "

A total of 17 landmark agreements were signed, spanning critical sectors such as artificial intelligence, defence, and cybersecurity A major highlight was the commitment to fast-track an ambitious Free Trade Agreement (FTA), with both leaders aiming to conclude negotiations soon to unlock billions in untapped trade potential The visit also featured emotional ceremonies, with Modi paying tribute at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem and addressing the Knesset, becoming the first Indian leader to do so

Following their initial discussions, the leaders held a second, expanded meeting on February 26, at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem This session focused on integrating Israeli technological prowess with India’s manufacturing scale, particularly in semiconductors and quantum computing During this final high-level engagement, the Prime Ministers formalised the broad range of MoUs and reviewed the India-Israel Industrial R&D and Innovation Fund (I4F) to ensure tangible economic outcomes

List of outcomes

50,000 Indian workers to access the Israeli commerce, manufacturing, and restaurant sectors over the next five years

Beyond the 17 MoUs, several major announcements were made to institutionalise this Partnership The Joint Committee on Science and Technology has been elevated to the Ministerial level, and a new Tech-Gateway Initiative will be launched to validate collaborative R&D projects

T he Brit ish go ve rn m e n t launched the full enforcem e n t o f it s El e ctr on ic Travel Authorisation (ETA) sy st em , fun d a me n ta l ly changing how international travellers enter the United Kingdom

Under the new "no permission, no travel" rules, citizens from 85 non-visa countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia must now obtain digital clearance before boarding their flights

Costing £16 and linked electronically to the traveller's passport, the ETA lasts for two years and is mandatory for tourism, business, and even transiting through border control This digitisation drive aims to streamline security while generating over £383 million in revenue as of January 2026 The rollout has particularly impacted dual nationals, who must now present a valid British passport or a £589 Certificate of

Entitlement, as they are ineligible for an ETA While most applications are processed in minutes via the official app, officials recommend applying at least three working days in advance From February 26, Certificates of Entitlement have also moved to a digital format, further phasing out physical vignettes as the UK transitions towards a completely contactless border by the end of the year

Saba Shawl becomes first woman to head Central Jail

The summit resulted in a comprehensive roadmap for the future, including a significant labour mobility protocol allowing up to

In the realm of digital connectivity, an agreement was reached between NPCI International and MASHAV to implement India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) for cross-border remittances in Israel Agricultural ties were further strengthened through the establishment of the IndiaIsrael Innovation Centre for Agriculture (IINCA) and the launch of 20 joint fellowships for Indian researchers Academically, the new India-Israel Academic Cooperation Forum and a partnership between Nalanda University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem were established

Modi inaugurates Micron facility entering global market

Prime Minister Narendra M od i in aug ura te d

M icron Te ch no log y ’ s

£2 2 billion ($2 75 billion) semiconductor assembly

a n d t est f acilit y in S an an d, Gu jar at This landmark event, attended by US Ambassador Sergio G or a nd M icr on CEO San jay Mehrotra, signifies India’s formal transition into the global hardware manufacturing value chain

The facility will convert advanced DRAM and NAND wafers into finished memory products, with the first made-inIndia modules already dispatched to Dell

Technologies By accelerating bureaucratic approvals to mere months, the Indian government enabled commercial production just three years after the initial ground-breaking, highlighting a shift towards a hardwareintensive economy

The project currently employs 2,000 staff, with plans to scale to 5,000 direct jobs

This site is the first of ten approved projects under the $10 billion Semicon India Programme, aimed at securing global supply chains through the Pax Silica agreement

Varanasi snatches World Record for mass tree plantation

Over 20,000 residents in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, planted 251,446 sapli ngs in just s ixty minutes, securi ng a new G ui nness World Record This massive effort, held in the Sujabad Domari area along the Ganga, s urpass ed China’s 2018 record of 153,9 81 saplings

Using the Miyawaki method to ensure rapid growth, the drive transformed 350 bighas of land into an urban forest named "Namo Van" The site is uniquely divided into 60 sectors, each named after Kashi’s

iconic ghats, such as Dashashwamedh and Manikarnika, to create a Mini Kashi landscape

The project features 27 native species, including timber, fruit-bearing, and medicinal plants like Ashwagandha Adjudicator Rishinath verified the count via drone surveillance before presenting the certificate to Mayor Ashok Kumar Tiwari Supported by the Indian Army, NDRF, and thousands of students, the initiative includes a 10 8-km irrigation network to ensure survival

The Ja mmu a nd Ka shmir H ome De pa rt me nt i ssue d Government Order No 145H ome, ap poin t in g Sa ba Shawl as the Superintendent of Central Jail Srinagar This historic move makes her the first Kashmiri woman to lead the high-security correctional facility Shawl, a resident of Pee rb agh, qualified for t he Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) in 20 12, se curi ng t he only op en mer i t p osit io n for Su per i nt e nd en t of Police (Prisons)

Prior to this posting, she served as the Staff Officer to the Director General of

Prisons, following a diverse career that began in grassroots social work and community consultancy

Holding a master’s degree in social work, Shawl has balanced administrative roles, such as Public Relations Officer, with field experience at Kot Bhalwal and Kupwara jails Her appointment was part of a broader administrative reshuffle involving the repatriation of Sheikh Zulfkar Azad and the deputation of several police officers to district jails in Poonch, Anantnag, and Pulwama Hailed as a landmark for women in uniformed ser-

vices, Shawl's leadership at the high-security Srinagar facility is expected to bring a reform-oriented approach to one of the region’s most sensitive institutions

Astronomer Ekta Shah discovers six galaxy clusters

Gu j arat i a stro no mer E kt a Shah made global headlines by discovering six new massive clusters of galaxies in the early universe

Originally from a modest background in Anand, Shah conducted this ground-breaking research at the University of California, Davis, under a prestigious NASA-funded fellowship

Using data from the world's most advanced telescopes, including those in Hawaii, she identified these ancient "cosmic cities" and notably bestowed them with Indian names: Drishti, Shravana, Surabhi, Ruchi, Sparsh, and Smriti This

achievement marks a significant milestone for Indian scientists in the field of extragalactic astronomy, providing a distinct cultural identity to major celestial

discoveries Born to Arjun and Lata Shah, Ekta's journey from a servant's quarter in Anand to the top tiers of NASA is a testament to academic grit After studying in Gujarati medium, she pursued her Master’s at IIT Bombay before completing her PhD at the Rochester Institute of Technology Her research focuses on "protostructures," spanning a redshift range of $2 5 < z < 4 5$, which helps scientists understand how the universe ’ s largest structures formed billions of years ago

Ahmedabad marks 614th anniversary with Bhadrakali Rath Yatra

Ahm eda bad c el ebr ate d i t s 614t h foundation anniversary by hosting the first Goddess Bhadrakali Nagar Yatra in over six centuries Mayor Pratibha Jain inaugurated the grand procession from the hi st ori c Bha drak al i Templ e at 08:00, marking the official return of a tr adi ti on that had b een sus pe nde d since the Mughal era

Spanning a 6 25-km route through the Walled City, the yatra carried the goddess’s sacred footprints (padukas) on a decorated chariot, visiting iconic landmarks such as Teen Darwaza, Manek Chowk, and the Jagannath Temple This revival, coinciding with Maha Shivratri, successfully blended the city's rich heritage with contemporary devotion The 2025 event featured over 5,000 participants, 90

vehicles, and several akharas, setting a precedent that continued with the 615th anniversary celebrations Supported by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and local police

O Panneerselvam switches to DMK ahead of polls

Th re e -t ime T a m il Nad u

Chief Min ister and former A IAD MK le a de r O Pannee rselvam (75) join ed th e DMK a t A n n a Arivalayam in the presence of Ch ie f Min iste r M K Stalin

T h e p a

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Bodinayakkanur in Theni, the seat he won in 2021, for

elections

Stalin’s governance and said

h

movement Calling himself a party cadre, he pledged to

work for the party’s growth

O Panneerselvam (OPS) chose

AIADMK chief Edappadi K

Palaniswami brought TTV

Dhinakaran into the NDA

and ruled out his return D M K l e a d e

r m e d prior talks before his formal induction OPS had earlier

camp, and recently claimed

Union home minister Amit Shah felt the DMK alliance

AIADMK Aides said joining

realistic option to challenge Palaniswami

minister, twice appointed by J Jayalalithaa and once after her death, OPS later served as deputy CM until

Bodinayakkanur or another seat in the region In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, he

Ramanathapuram with 3 42 lakh votes

Indian Navy commissions INS Anjadip in Chennai

T he In dian Nav y commissioned INS Anjadip at Chennai Port, with Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi presiding over the ceremony

The warship is designed t o s t r

anti-submarine warfare and c

capabilities

INS Anjadip is the third

Shallow Water Craft project Dubbed a “Dolphin Hunter”, i t i s f

indigenous systems to detect

waters The commissioning ceremony was attended

Shipbuilders and Engineers in Kolkata, is powered by

T he A ll In dia Tr ina moo l C on gr ess (A ITMC ) h as n a me d sen ior S upr

C our t a dv ocat e Me

G uruswam y as one of its

ca nd ida te s f or t he Ra jy a Sabha election s scheduled for March 16 If elected, she would become the country’s f irst op en ly L GB TQ Member of Parliament

The Mamata Banerjeeled party has also fielded MLA Babul Supriyo, actor

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commitment

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enables speeds of up to 25

operations in littoral zones

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University of Oxford and Harvard Law School, and also practised in New York

s u r v e i l l a n c e , l o w - i n t e n s i t y m a r i t i m e o p e r a t i o n s , a n d

search and rescue missions

The warship is fitted with an advanced indigenous antis u b m a r i n e w a r f a r e ( A S W ) weapons and sensor suite, including the hull-mounted

s o n a r ‘ A b h a y ’ , a l o n g w i t h

l i g h t w e i g h t t o r p e d o e s a n d ASW rockets N a m e d a f t e r A n j a d i p

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K a r n a t a k a ’ s A r a b i a n S e a

c o a s t , I N S A n j a d i p

s t r e n g t h e n s t h e N a v y ’ s

a b i l i t y t o p r o t e c t I n d i a ’ s

m a r i t i m e i n t e r e s t s , i n c l u d i n g t h e c o a s t s o f

T a m i l N a d u a n d

Puducherry

c

PM Modi crosses 100 million followers on Instagram

P rime Min ist er N a re nd ra Modi has become the first world leader to cross 100 m ill ion fol lo we rs on Instagram, marking a major d igita l mil esto ne a nd reinforcing his strong global social media presence

S i n c e j o i n i n g t h e p l a

In

appointed amicus curiae by the Supreme Court in

Delhi court acquits Kejriwal, Sisodia in excise case

A Delhi c ou rt has a cqu i tted f o rmer c hi ef mi ni st er Arvind Kejriwal, his then deputy Manish Siso dia, K Kavitha, V i j ay Na ir and Du rgesh Pathak in t he al leged exc is e po li c y sc am T he Rouse Avenue Court f ound no evi dence o f c rimi nal c ons pi racy o r wro ngdo i ng in the formulation of the policy Special Judge (PC Act)

increased from

to 12%, leading to cartelisation and undue

J i t e n d e r S i n g h c l o s e d t h e

CBI case, ruling that there w a s n o o v e r a r c h i

n s p i r a c y

m i n a l intent The case stemmed from a 2022 complaint by LG V K Saxena, after which the CBI registered an FIR Investigators had alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party a n d i t s l e a d e r s r e c e i v e d kickbacks by manipulating the excise policy, introduced in November 2021 and later w i t h d r a w n i n S e p t e m b e r

2 0 2 2 T h e y c l a i m

Rajasthan government renames three historic towns

Directorate searches at IPAC offices

government employees

Marking two years of the

Ra jas tha n Chi ef Mi ni s te r Bhajan Lal Sharma told the Assembly that three historic town s wi ll b e ren ame d, Moun t Ab u as A bu R aj, Kam an as Kamv an an d Jahaz pur as Yagyapur H e said the decision is part of the B JP g over nmen t’s de col oni s ati on i ni ti at iv e an d a i ms to

He also noted that in D e c e m b e r l a s t y e a r , t h e government scrapped nine of the 17 new districts and three divisions created by

unnecessary The renaming decision has drawn sharp criticism f r o

Minister also paid tribute to Ajmer’s heritage and Major Dalpat Singh

Actor Vijay’s wife files for divorce citing infidelity

Sangeetha Vijay, filed a formal petition for divorce from actorturned-politician Vijay at the Chengalpattu Family Court

Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna wed in traditional ceremonies

Actors Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandan officially tied the knot the ITC Mementos in Udaipur, Rajasthan The couple, affectionately dubbed "VIROSH" by fans, celebrated their union through two distinct ceremonies to honour their respective heritages

The day began with a traditional Telugu Hindu wedding at 10: am, reflecting the groom s roots, followed by a sunset Kodava (Coorgi) ceremony to celebrate the bride’s ancestry During the emotional varmala exchange, both actors were reportedly moved to tears as they made their seven-year relationship official

The guest list was an intimate gathering of approximately 100 people, including directors Sandeep Reddy

Tharun Bhascker, and Rahul R i d n, alongside actors ni Priyadarshan and sha Rebba Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent a heartfelt congratulatory letter to the families, describing the union as a "divinely scripted chapter," while Home Minister Amit Shah also xtended his best hes after the couple nally invited him in hi Guests were treated to a bespoke menu featuring a blend of Telangana and Kodagu delicacies, including pandi curry and kadambuttu

Following their private celebrations, the newlyweds are set to host a grand reception at Taj Krishna in Hyderabad on March 4 for their film industry colleagues

Jyothika hails ‘Thaai Kizhavi’ as a progressive milestone

Mammootty to join iconic ‘KH x RK’ movie

Speculation is mounting across the South Indian film industry as Malayalam megastar Mammootty has reportedly been approached for a pivotal role in the upcoming Tamil blockbuster tentatively titled KH x RK

AcclaimedSeeking a dissolution of their twenty-six-year marriage under the Special Marriage Act 1954, Sangeetha cited infidelity, mental cruelty, and constructive desertion as the primary grounds for the s l

The petition alleges that in April 2021, she discovered Vijay was involved in an adulterous relationship with a prominent actress Despite initial assurances that the affair would end, Sangeetha claims the association continued, leading to public humiliation and deep emotional neglect

The couple, who wed on August 25, 1999 following a cross-cultural romance, have two children, Jason Sanjay and Divya Saasha While the actress in question has not been officially named in the documents, Sangeetha has requested in-camera proceedings to protect the famil ’ s privacy This personal crisis coincides with a turbulent period for Vijay, whose final film, ‘Jana Nayagan’, remains stalled due to CBFC certification disputes As the chief of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party, Vijay faces significant political scrutiny ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, though he has yet to issue a public statement regarding the filing

actor Jyothika has lauded the Tamil comedy-drama Thaai Kizhavi as a ive masterpiece that elevates the of women in cinema ding a star-studded premiere at Cinemas in Chennai alongside her Suriya, Jyothika penned an al tribute to the film's creators She ly praised debutant director ar Murugesan for his dignified and thanked producer hikeyan for providing a powerhouse e Radikaa Sarathkumar with a lead transcends traditional age barriers ilm, which officially released in on February 27, follows haayi (Radikaa), a fierce village h whose sudden illness triggers a nd satirical scramble for her hidden mong her estranged sons Garnering opening of Rs 2 5 crore on its first movie has been celebrated for g the "evil mother-in-law" trope veterans, including Kamal Haasan, who gave the team a standing ovation at a private screening have joined Jyothika in praising the film's emotional depth and its clever integration of nostalgic musical scores

Announced on February 21, the project marks the historic on-screen reunion of legends Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan after a forty-sevenyear hiatus Directed by Nelson Dilipkumar and produced by Red Giant Movies, the film was launched with a stylish retro-cool promo that quickly went viral Reports suggest that Mammootty is being considered for a significant guest appearance as an "old gangster friend" connected to Kamal Haasan’s character, a casting move reportedly suggested by Haasan himself to create a truly pan-Indian cinematic event

The film features a high-profile technical team, including composer Anirudh Ravichander and cinematographer Rajiv Menon While the promo has already sparked intense debates over which legend will play the hero, director Nelson has kept specific plot details under wraps, hinting only at a blend of action and dark comedy

Production is expected to commence in late 2026 or early 2027, following the completion of Rajinikanth’s Thalaivar 173 and Haasan’s current commitments If Mammootty confirms his participation, the film will achieve a rare feat by bringing together three of India's most celebrated veterans in a single frame for the first time

Deepika Padukone’s Hollywood return put on hold?

Bhagyashree criticises excessive on-screen intimacy

Veteran

actor Bhagyashree sparked a debate on cinematic standards during a wide-ranging interview with Variety India.

The ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’ star, who rose to overnight fame in 1989, expressed concern over the gratuitous portrayal of intimate scenes in contemporary films and streaming content While acknowledging the shift towards realism, she argued that bold storytelling should not lead to content that makes viewers squirm when watching with their families Bhagyashree emphasised that a narrative can be diverse and interesting without being socially defiant or relying on physical display for emotional depth

Reflecting on the industry's evolution, the fifty-seven-yearold actor noted that whereas 1990s cinema was a collective family outing, the rise of nuclear families and individualistic viewing has fragmented the audience She also addressed the paradigm shift for women, recalling how marriage once acted as a professional barrier in a patriarchal era Currently preparing for her role as Jija Bai in the Marathi historical drama ‘Raja Shivaji’, set for release on May 1, Bhagyashree remains an advocate for maintaining cultural sensitivity while embracing artistic progress

ollywood actor Deepika Padukone has been in the spotlight over her upcoming projects in recent months. After welcoming her daughter Dua with husband veer Singh, fans have been eager to see her return to the screen However, she exited Spirit, directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, and was aced by Triptii Dimri, and also stepped away from the sequel to Kalki 2898 AD There was recent buzz about her joining Season 4 of The White Lotus, which uld have marked her Hollywood return nearly nine years after XXX: Return of der Cage (2017) However, reports suggest she is no longer in contention ile she had earlier declined the show due to her pregnancy, this time she was ortedly not keen to audition, a mandatory part of the casting process, leading he opportunity being passed on Meanwhile, Deepika Padukone is preparing for her big-screen return after a ernity break She was last seen in Singham Again (2024) Next, she will reunite h Shah Rukh Khan in Siddharth Anand’s upcoming film King, alongside Suhana n, Rani Mukerji and Abhishek Bachchan She is also set to collaborate with Arjun in Atlee’s next project, tentatively titled AA22xA6 Amid rumours, Deepika shared a cryptic Instagram note emphasising that m is the loudest flex,” calling composure a sign of strength and mastery Though she hasn’t directly addressed the reports, the post has gone viral on Reddit, with fans debating whether it was a subtle response

Nick

Jonas

pens

emotional love letter for Priyanka Chopra

Global

icon Priyanka Chopra was left visibly moved after her husband, Nick Jonas, surprised her with a deeply personal love letter

The actress was appearing on the Jay Shetty Podcast as part of the final promotional leg for her new film ‘The Bluff’, which debuted online on February 25 In the message, Nick affectionately addressed her as "My jaan" and described her as the "centre of our universe," praising her strength as a mother, daughter, and leader He noted that while the world sees a "force of nature," he is "floored" by her quiet kindness and the healing environment she creates for those around her

The tribute prompted Priyanka to recall a significant promise Nick made to her mother, Dr Madhu Chopra, before their 2018 wedding: that his life’s quest would be her daughter's happiness This emotional revelation comes as Priyanka celebrates the successful launch of ‘The Bluff’, a 19th-century Caribbean pirate drama co-starring Karl Urban Between filming SS Rajamouli’s Varanasi and managing a high-profile move back to Los Angeles, the actress shared that Nick’s consistent handwritten notes remain her most treasured memory drawer keepsakes, providing a sense of peace amidst her global career

Arijit Singh reassures fans of continued music releases

Celebrated vocalist Arijit Singh provided a glimmer of hope to his global fanbase by confirming that a substantial backlog of unfinished songs will be released throughout the year.

The announcement comes just weeks after the singer sent shockwaves through the Indian music industry by declaring his retirement from playback singing on January 27 Addressing his listeners via his private account on X, Singh clarified that although he has stopped accepting new film assignments to focus on independent music and Indian classical training, his voice will not disappear from the charts immediately

The thirty-eight-year-old artist, who rose to fame with Tum Hi Ho in 2013, explained that he remains committed to completing a not small list of pending tracks These releases, including his recent collaboration with Aamir Khan for the film ‘Ek Din’, are expected to stretch into 2027 In his characteristically philosophical style, Singh urged fans to avoid online negativity and focus on meditation and personal peace While industry peers like Shreya Ghoshal have supported his desire for artistic evolution, the singer's cryptic closing remark, "who knows what lies ahead" has left many wondering if a future return to Bollywood remains a possibility

Mumbai teen Aarav Dengla earns Grandmaster title

In di a ’ s Gra ndma st er t all y

has ris en to 93, with 17-

ye ar- old Aar av De ngl a earning the prestigious title af ter c omple ti ng al l formalities this month

The Mumbai youngster secured his third and final GM norm and saw his classical live rating climb to 2506, comfortably crossing the 2500 mark required for the title

Dengla achieved the milestone with back-toback victories at the GM Mix Bijeljina and GM Norm Round Robin tournaments in Bosnia and Herzegovina He earned his first GM norm at the 1st International Grandmaster Tournament in Bijeljina in 2022 and his second at the Zupanja Celebrates Chess GM-Norm Round Robin in

Croatia in 2025 In 2024, he also won the prestigious Grand Paris Masters Championship, the oldest chess tournament in France, scoring a perfect 7/7 against a 250-player field at Blanche de Castille High School near Paris

Introduced to chess by his mother at five, Dengla turned a hobby into a serious pursuit of the

Grandmaster title A student at Dhirubhai Ambani International School in Mumbai, he also won gold at the 2024 FIDE World Schools Rapid and Blitz Championships He is India’s second Grandmaster of 2026, after Aaryan Varshney, while Viswanathan Anand was the country’s first GM in 1988

Lovlina, Nikhat to lead India at Asian Boxing Championships

Tok yo O ly mpi c m eda lli s t

Lovlina Borgohain and twot i me W orl d Ch ampi on Nikhat Zareen wi ll lead a 20-member Indian team at t he A si an B ox i ng Championships, set to begin on March 28 in Mongolia

The squad was finalised after a month-long evaluation at the national camp in Patiala, following January’s National Championships As per selection policy, finalists in approved weight categories at the 2026 Asian Boxing Championships will earn direct entry to India’s Commonwealth Games and Asian Games squads

The trials and preparations were overseen by head coaches Santiago Nieva (women) and CA Kuttappa (men), along with the national support staff

The Asian Championships carry added

importance this year, serving not only as a medal platform but also as a key qualification route for upcoming multi-sport events

Alongside Lovlina Borgohain and Nikhat Zareen, India’s women ’ s medal prospects include World champion Minakshi (48kg), Jaismine Lamboria (57kg) and Preeti Pawar (54kg) In the men ’ s section, Hussamuddin misses out at 60kg, with Sachin leading the category and Jadumani Singh competing at 55kg

Lovlina Borgohain

BFI President Ajay Singh said the squad was selected based on form and consistency, expressing confidence in their ability to compete with Asia’s best India’s women ’ s team comprises Minakshi (48kg), Nikhat Zareen (51kg), Preeti (54kg), Jaismine (57kg), Priya (60kg), Ankushita Boro (65kg), Arundhati Choudhary (70kg), Lovlina Borgohain (75kg), Pooja Rani (80kg) and Alfiya Tarannum Akram Khan Pathan (80+kg) The men ’ s squad features Vishwanath Suresh (50kg), Jadumani Singh Mandengbam (55kg), Sachin (60kg), Aditya Pratap Yadav (65kg), Deepak (70kg), Akash (75kg), Ankush (80kg), Lokesh (85kg), Harsh Choudhary (90kg) and Narender (90+kg)

Ballet dancer turned archer wins Khelo

India junior gold

Jharkhand’s Raj Aditi Kumari, a for mer b all et dan c er who tr ans i ti one d t o c ompoun d archery, won gold in the junior category at the 4th Khelo India Wome n ’ s N ati on al Ra nki n g Archery Tournament held at the KD Singh ‘Babu’ Stadium

The 20-year-old, who had earlier claimed the Khelo India Women’s National Ranking title in Gujarat, continues her rapid rise in the sport However, Aditi remains focused on bigger ambitions, stating that her ultimate goal is to win medals for India at the Olympics and the World Championships

absent, the sports teacher, who also coached archery, selected a few girls to try the sport

India seal semi-final spot with win over West Indies

With a semi-final berth on the line, Sanju Samson rose to the occ as i on, st eer in g India to a five-wicket victory over West Indies in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in Kolkata West Indies, asked to bat, posted 195/4 after recovering from a midinnings slump, having reached 45/0 in the powerplay through Shai Hope and Roston Chase Varun Chakaravarthy broke the opening stand, while Jasprit Bumrah’s twin strikes and Hardik Pandya’s wicket reduced them from 102/2 to 119/4

In response, Samson anchored the chase with an unbeaten 97 as India reached 199/5 in 19 2 overs,

the highest score by an Indian in a T20 World Cup run chase

Jason Holder and Rovman Powell counterattacked with a rapid 76-run stand off 35 balls for the fifth wicket Powell struck 34 off 19, becoming the first West Indian to hit 150 T20I sixes, while Holder made 37 off 22 to lift West Indies to 195/4 India started aggressively in the chase, with Sanju Samson taking 17 runs off an Akeal Hosein over However, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan fell early as India reached 53/2 in the powerplay Samson then steadied the innings, scoring his first T20 World Cup fifty and adding

58 runs with Suryakumar Yadav and 42 with Tilak Varma He anchored the chase with an unbeaten 97 off 50 balls, hitting 12 fours and four sixes, and sealed the win with the winning boundary as India reached 199/5 in 19 2 overs

India name squad for FIH World Cup 2026 qualifiers

Hockey India has announced the squad for the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifiers, to be held in Hyderabad from March 8 to 14

The tournament marks the Indian women ’ s team’s first assignment under returning chief coach Sjoerd Marijne, who took charge in January 2026, replacing Harendra Singh

Salima Tete will captain the 20-member Indian side in a key tournament ahead of the 2026 Asian Games and the ongoing Olympic cycle

India will compete against England, Scotland, Korea, Italy, Uruguay, Wales and Austria in the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifiers, with three World Cup spots up for grabs Placed in Pool B alongside Scotland, Uruguay and Wales, India begin their campaign against Uruguay on March 8, followed by Scotland and Wales

Head coach Sjoerd Marijne said the team has prioritised fitness and tactics in camp and will play two practice matches in Hyderabad

J&K wins Maiden Ranji trophy

Jammu and Kashmir won their maiden Ranji Trophy title after drawing with eight-time c ham pion s Karn ata ka i n th e f in al an d securing victory on the basis of their firstinnings lead

The triumph ended a 67-year wait for the state An emotional captain Paras Dogra said the achievement was the biggest moment of his life and praised the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association and his teammates for their outstanding effort throughout the season

The team remained confident of victory from the start, players said after the win Opener Shubham Pundir, who was named Player of the Match, scored 121 as captain Paras Dogra added 70 to power Jammu and Kashmir to a first-innings total of 584 Pacer Aaquib Nabi Dar, the Player of the Series, returned figures of 5-54 to bowl out Karnataka for 293, despite Mayank Agarwal’s 160, giving J&K a commanding 291-run lead

Opting not to enforce the follow-on, Qamran Iqbal (160*) and Sahil Dogra (101*) struck unbeaten centuries in the second innings before the teams agreed to a draw Indian Cricket Board President Mithun Manhas, who watched the final alongside Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, dedicated Jammu and Kashmir’s maiden Ranji Trophy triumph to the people, crediting the team’s belief over the past four years for the historic win Vice President C P Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah also congratulated the team, calling it a landmark moment for the region The Vice President said the victory reflects growing confidence in Jammu and Kashmir, while the Prime Minister praised the team’s grit and discipline The Home Minister described the achievement as a symbol of the region’s youth driven by peace, progress and prosperity

Row erupts over DCCI’s use of ‘India’ in name

Th e Diff er en t ly -Ab le d C ricke t C ouncil o f Ind ia (DC CI) h as str on gl y ob ject ed to the Spor ts Ministry’s directive asking it t o st op using t he wor ds “India ” or “In dian” in its name and activities, calling t he m ove “ se le ctive an d targeted” rather than part of a uniform policy

Aditi says her journey into archery happened by chance “I didn’t choose archery; archery chose me, ” she recalled In Class 7, when her English teacher was

She was chosen, sought her parents’ permission, and began her journey

She credits her parents and coach for her progress, saying their constant support and encouragement continue to motivate her

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports said the DCCI cannot use “India” in its name as it is not a

recognised National Sports Federation The DCCI countered that several other unrecognised bodies continue to use the term, calling the directive inconsistent and discriminatory

In a letter signed by general secretary Ravikant Chauhan, the council said the move creates a perception of bias, noting that it has BCCI support despite the board not being

a recognised NSF The DCCI has sought withdrawal of the order, formal recognition and a personal hearing, stressing that it operates under the BCCI’s Differently Abled Cricket Committee, is affiliated with international bodies, and conducts events with prior ministry approval It said the matter concerns inclusive sports governance, not just nomenclature